Change of Perspective
by Aquilon
Summary: When Ash and his ex-girlfriend Misty meet up on her birthday he never expected that he'd end up seeing what went wrong, how she felt and what he's missed all this time. All through a new, Change of Perspective. AAML
1. Day Zero

Change of Perspective Chapter One

When Ash meets his ex-girlfriend Misty on her birthday he ends up finding out much more than he ever expected about the woman he loved from a whole new change of perspective. AAML.

Genre: Romance/Comedy

Day Zero

As Ash looked out of the car window he sighed, it was that time of year again, the time when he would swallow his pride and see the woman who broke his heart, Misty Waterflower.

Usually Ash would do anything to avoid any contact with the woman, however today was a special day, the one day he'd push his feelings aside and wish her happiness after all they were still friends, he hoped.

"How much longer?" he asked impatiently as he spied a flock of low flying Pidgey from the window and smiled. Pokémon were amazing, he'd always thought that and he always would. They'd brought joy to his life despite his hardships, which included parental abandonment and heartbreak.

"Thirty-Minutes" his mother replied in a cheerful manner as she admired the scenery of the beachside town Porta Vista, which resided between Vermillion City and Maiden's Peak on the Kanto landscape.

Its geographic location made it a glorious resort town which rivalled some of the luxurious tourist islands on the Orange Archipelago, even being referred to as by some as the paradise of Kanto by some. This made it the perfect location for Tracey and Daisy's summer home which was where Misty would be celebrating her twentieth birthday.

"Isn't this amazing?" Delia sighed with delight as she took in the fresh ocean breeze.

"Yeah" Ash replied apathetically, usually he'd be excited to be in Porta Vista but the small fact that Misty was also there filled his heart with unease.

"Pika-Pika?" his long-term partner questioned in confusion made him smile almost bitterly.

"Its fine Pikachu, I'll keep calm around her" he assured his friend as he placed a soft hand on his head and stroked it carefully.

"Chaa!" Pikachu cried out in delight as he closed his eyes, just seeing this brought a real smile to the experienced trainer's face.

As Ash stroked the electric-mouse Pokémon Delia watched from the rear-view mirror, wondering how it all went wrong for her son. _"I thought they would be the perfect couple" _Delia thought as a small sigh escaped her lips.

"You okay Mum?" Ash asked in response making the older woman laugh.

"Just fine, I guess I'm just a little sleepy from the long trip" Delia lied expertly, well it wasn't that good but it was enough to trick someone as dense as Ash.

"Okay then" Ash said as he wound down the window and allowed the scintillating sun to warm his skin. "Feels good" Ash whispered with a smile as he closed his eyes and joined his long-time friend in the act of slumber.

* * *

"He's coming today right?" A blonde haired woman in her early thirties asked her youngest and most treasured sister.

"Yeah" the woman of the moment replied quietly, sounding less excited about the prospect than her sister did.

"Oh come on lil sis, enough of that wallowing" the woman sighed tiredly. "Smile a little more, you don't want to get wrinkles" she then added in her normal easy-going manner.

"Not all of us are obsessed with our looks Dais" the ginger haired woman replied harshly making the blonde laugh with what seemed to be relief, Misty didn't think so though. "What's so funny?" she asked defensively, amusing her eldest sister immensely.

"Oh nothing" she practically sung in reply as she observed the fiery look in her sisters gorgeous green eyes. "Isn't it nice to be here?" she then asked, changing the subject in the process.

"What's the point, if it was for a week then I'd understand but I'm going home later" Misty said in an unimpressed manner. "If I didn't know any better Dais I'd think you were just trying to show off your new summer home" Misty said dubiously which made the eldest Waterflower laugh nervously. "Hit the nail on the head didn't I?" Misty asked for confirmation.

"Ummm, sure you did lil sis" Daisy agreed, but the manner in which she said it made Misty very suspicious.

"What is it that you're not telling me Dais?" Misty then asked getting a quick shrug from the older lady.

"That's a se-cr-et" Daisy teased as she looked out the window and spied one of Misty's acquaintances. "Finally" Daisy cried as she hopped off her seat and made her way to the door, Misty on the other hand slouched down on the table.

"_Why did she bring me all the way here... and why does Ash have to be coming" _she thought in a depressed manner. _"Why would the one who broke my heart come to see me, regardless of the day?" _she wondered curiously as she let out a rather loud sigh.

"Hey Misty!" a familiar voice caught her ears which forced her to conjure up the energy to sit-up right and force a smile.

"Hey Brock" Misty replied with a small smile. "Thanks for coming" she said as her long-time friend grinned at her.

"Aw no problem" he replied bashfully as he handed her a relatively thin, rectangular shaped present which was wrapped up in blue bubble-themed wrapping paper. "It's not much but I hope you like it" he said in an embarrassed manner before turning around to look at the house.

The house itself was the size of a normal house, it had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room which came with all that was expected of a house in this day of age such as a television a sofa and so on.

The kitchen was full of the best utilities that money could buy and everything was decorated way too much for it to be a simple summer home, though Misty did remember that it did belong to her sister and her husband so it was bound to be 'classy'.

"Wow this place is amazing" Brock commented as he walked over to the see through sliding doors to look at the sea view. "This place must of cost a rocket" he commented enviously which made Misty giggle quietly.

"Remember with Daisy's modelling and Tracey's art, money isn't really a problem" she said with a similar enviousness to Brock's.

"So... where's Ash?" Brock asked cautiously, flinching when Misty gave him a sharp stare.

"I couldn't care less" she told him with no real conviction which made Brock sigh. He didn't know what exactly went wrong between the two but he knew it was enough to cause a deep rift between his two best friends.

As Brock eyed his best female friend he put a hand over his face and let out a small sigh. "You don't really mean that do you?" he questioned, yet despite this it was also a statement since he knew she could never truly hate Ash.

Her silence was enough of a reply for Brock who felt as if he had some kind of obligation to mend the gap, even if it wasn't possible with his hands alone. _"It wasn't the fault of any one person" _Brock thought as his mind went over the little information he had.

"Let's not talk about this" Brock then said with a smile. "It is your birthday after all" he followed up with a small smile which was reciprocated by the ginger haired woman. "So where are your other sisters?" Brock then asked hopefully getting a small laugh from his friend.

"You have no chance Brock" she informed him, crushing his hopes in an instant. "Lily had a boyfriend and Violet... let's just say you aren't her type" Misty put it lightly.

"Why not?" Brock asked trying to take Misty's mind off what they had been talking about.

"You're a nice guy, you can cook, you have a job and aspirations" Misty listed out Brock's 'faults' comically which made Brock lower his head in a deflated manner.

"Why me" he moaned, amusing his friend in the process.

"It's okay Brock you'll find someone" Misty said with ninety-nine percent confidence, after all she believed there was someone for everyone, even Brock who had a notoriously unlucky love-life.

"I hope so, even Forrest has a girlfriend" he said in a self-depreciative manner.

"Oh! Really?" Misty asked with genuine surprise. "That's cute" she then commented, after all she was good friends with Brock's younger sibling.

"Yeah, though I bet when I get someone she'll be beautiful" Brock commented which brought a wry smile to Misty's face.

"_If you say so Brock" _she thought doubtfully as her good mood finally returned.

* * *

The moment the car stopped Ash felt like running away. He didn't know why but his gut told him that something terrible was going to happen if he entered the house. As he sat stationary his mother walked around to his side of the car and gave him a stern expression.

"Ash get out of the car, you're not a kid anymore" she ordered her son who turned to her and gave her a bored look.

"Doesn't that mean you can't order me around anymore?" Ash asked in a rare moment of cheekiness, well rare in regards to being directed at his mother that is.

"What was that?" she asked him with a strict tone that only a mother could deliver.

"Fine fine" Ash conceded to years of reinforced training under that tone, usually Delia let him do what he wanted but when she wanted to she could easily 'command' his attention.

As the young man stepped out of the car his faithful companion ran up his arm and perched himself loyally on his shoulder. "Pikaaa!" the electric-mouse cried in delight as he observed the beautiful scenery, filled with exotic blue flowers and large, towering pine trees.

"Pretty impressive place" Ash admitted with a sliver of excitement evident in his voice as he looked at the sea. "How much money does Daisy have to 'waste'" Ash mused making his mother laugh, even at times like these she noticed her son could revert to his childish manner, it was part of his 'charm' apparently.

As they walked up the drive Ash had thoughts of walking away but he knew it was too late to do so, besides even if it hurt him, he still enjoyed seeing Misty.

The second he reached the door it opened, revealing a smiling Daisy. "Hi Ash!" she said happily, taking the young man by surprise.

"Uh, hi Daisy" Ash replied, not meeting her eyes once in case it made him feel guilty, Misty and her sisters had that effect on him even if he wasn't the one at fault.

"Don't just stand there, come in" she said grabbing the young man by the arm and practically dragging him through the door. "You too of course Mrs. Ketchum" Delia said in a more reserved manner, showing respect for the still beautiful woman.

"Thank you" Delia said with a smile as she entered, mouth forming a 'O' when she saw the gorgeous interior. "This is amazing!" Delia said with the enthusiasm of an interior designer and homemaker.

"Well it was decorated by professionals" Daisy beamed before leaning over and whispering in the older woman's ear.

"Oh my, that's fantastic" Delia said in amazement however this was the final straw for Ash. So instead of standing around listening to interior design he walked further into the house, only to see the crux of problems sitting right in front of him.

As they stared into each other's eyes a familiar feeling of fullness filled both of them, yet they denied this feeling to blossom by breaking the contact. "Hi Mist" Ash said as calmly as he could, offering her a genuine smile even if it caused him pain.

"Hey" she replied softly, ignoring the burning gaze of Brock who was watching the two of them intently.

"Uh... how have you been?" Ash asked awkwardly, shown in how he fidgeted side to side.

"Good" was the reply, it was quick and to the point, yet it wasn't an attempt to break potential conversation, no it was just the only thing she could say, the only way she could respond.

"Cool... yeah" Ash said lamely as he looked to the side, it felt as if mere conversation was as draining as a twenty-four mile marathon, yet he persevered. "Uh Pikachu missed you" Ash said as he turned to his long term friend who on cue jumped off his shoulder and dived at Misty excitedly.

As Pikachu reached Misty a big smile reached her face. "Pika-Pika!" he squealed as Misty plucked him up and cuddled him.

"Hey Pikachu how have you been?" she asked getting an excited response from the electric-mouse, the smile on Misty's face made Ash unconsciously smile and approach the distracted woman.

"Here" Ash said, handing an expertly wrapped gift into her hand, when she looked up at him he nervously scratched under his nose and retreated.

"Thanks" Misty said appreciatively as the man retreated over to where Brock was sitting, unable to cope with being around her for fear of what might happen.

"Hey Brock" Ash said cheerfully, the difference in his tone of voice was astronomical compared to how he spoke with Misty and she could tell. There was no forced enthusiasm, no awkwardness, it was natural and she missed it slightly.

"Hey Ash how've you been?" he asked, disappointed that the two didn't continue with their small progress.

"Not bad, as you know I won the Indigo League a few months back so I can enter the Champions League" he told Brock with a grin and yet despite this his voice still sounded slightly haunted.

"Oh yeah, looking forward to it?" Brock asked awkwardly, even he felt the pressure and strain, it was as if the three were either completely united when together or completely dysfunctional when apart, as if the key link in a chain had broke, ruining everything.

"Of course, I'm sure to win!" Ash said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster before turning around to see Misty not sharing his excitement which seemed to smother his fiery attitude, reducing it to small embers.

It didn't take long before silence occurred, a quiet void which seemed impenetrable for two of the three present in the room. However Brock the most experienced at life wasn't going to let the awkwardness seep in, he knew it wasn't too late.

"So... Misty why are we here anyway?" Brock asked.

"Huh?" Misty mumbled incoherently before shaking her head. "Sorry what was that Brock?" she asked making him sigh.

"Why would we come to Porta Vista when it's not even an overnight thing?" Brock asked curiously making Misty put a hand on her lip and she stroked Pikachu with the other.

"I've been asking myself that actually" Misty said with some real interest which surprised Brock. "You know Daisy, perhaps she just wanted to show off" Misty said with an off-handed jibe which made Ash laugh surprising Brock.

"Yeah like the time she took us fishing just to show off her yacht?" Ash asked, laughing at the fond memory.

"Yeah and then she ended up getting dragged into the sea by a Wailord!" Misty struggled to say as she fought the laughter that was threatening to break out.

"And then she was like 'Oh no my fabulous hair, it's ruined!'" Ash said as he imitated Daisy's reaction which made Misty burst into laughter.

"Then you wouldn't let her back on the boat" Misty said as tears of laughter fell from her eyes.

"Hey that was your idea, not mine!" Ash protested weakly from his spot, joining in with the laughter so naturally that it confused Brock and gave him a glimmer of hope that the trio's friendship could be rekindled.

"Was not!" Misty playfully denied Ash's accusations as she got off her seat and stood in front of him defiantly.

"Was so" Ash said as he turned to the side and looked at her through just one eye.

"Was not!" she played back which made Brock remember a montage of all the times Ash and Misty had argued like that in the past, the memories brought a fond smile to his face.

"Uh-huh whatever" Misty said childishly as she turned around and went "hmph" to show her 'anger' which only amused Ash more.

"Well I know I'm right, so I'm going to stop there" Ash said and looked away, hoping to bait Misty but it only had the opposite effect, because by ending the argument their only means of communicating was broke which only served to invite the awkwardness back into the field of play.

"Uh... Mist?" Ash said once everything went quiet, but just as before Misty walked back to her seat and went quiet again. _"Damn... can we only communicate when we're arguing?" _Ash wondered as he looked at Misty sadly.

As silence completely enveloped them once more Ash got to his feet and walked to the backdoor. "I'm going to go get some fresh air" Ash told them and walked out, leaving Misty alone with Brock once more.

Once gone Brock turned to Misty and gave her a solid stare. "What was all that about?" Brock asked in reference to the temporary good mood.

"I don't know... this always happens, this is why I don't like to see him anymore" Misty admitted in a depressed manner as her head dropped against the table.

"Well I think it proves one thing though" Brock said as he leant back against the sofa.

"What is that?" Misty asked curiously.

"You don't hate each other" was all Brock could say, anything more would be denied furiously and it would dampen any minute progress that had been made between the pair.

"Maybe" Misty said as she looked out the window to see Ash lying against a tree with his eyes closed. "I just don't understand anymore" Misty commented, piquing Brock's interest.

"Understand what?" he asked gaining a small shrug of the shoulders.

"It's nothing" was all she could muster before she closed her eyes from boredom.

* * *

Hours passed and by the time Misty and Ash both opened their eyes the time was 7:00pm. "Uhh I can't believe I've slept my birthday away" Misty mumbled as she lifted her head to see a large banner which proclaimed "Happy Birthday Misty" which took her by surprise.

As she looked to her side she saw Ash also awakening from his nap. "That's strange" Misty whispered as she got to her feet walked into the kitchen to see Brock, Delia and Daisy talking about something.

"Wow that's an amazing present" Brock said to Daisy which made the older woman laugh.

"Thank you Brock" Daisy said with a smile, Misty seeing this felt as if she would be ruining a surprise so she pulled back and retreated back to the living room just as Ash re-entered.

"Where is everyone" Ash asked nobody in particular.

"Shh" Misty said instinctively silencing the slightly younger male.

"What's going on?" Ash whispered back curiously, ignoring the fact that it was Misty he was talking to.

"I don't know but they were talking about presents" Misty replied quickly as she stretched her arms out and yawned rather loudly on purpose, catching the attention of those in the kitchen.

"Oh you're awake" Daisy said as she left the kitchen and smiled at her sister. "Oh you too Ash" she said with a smile which was so bright that he had no choice but to reciprocate it. "Did you sleep well Misty?" she asked which made the birthday girl nod.

"This place is so relaxing" Misty said honestly, making her older sister beam happily.

"I'm glad you think so because" Daisy said as she approached her sister and handed her a key.

"What's this?" Misty asked as she stared at the key.

"Your key" Daisy stated the obvious which made Misty give her a look which practically spelt out 'are you being serious?'

"You don't get it do you sweetie?" Delia chimed from behind her, seizing Misty's attention in an instant.

"Not really?" Misty questioned as she looked at Brock who also seemed to know the big secret.

"This place is only used by Tracey and me in the summer, that key means you can use it whenever you want" Daisy informed her sister with a big smile "like your own little summer home!" she added as she grinned making Misty's lower jaw drop.

"W-wait I can use this place whenever I want?" Misty asked, blinking her eyes really quickly to make sure she was in the plane of existence known as reality.

"Wow that's awesome" Ash commented as he made his way over to the sofa and led down on it. "I'm jealous" he joked as he bounced a little, bringing a wry smile to Misty's lips.

"Hey Ash don't bounce on my sofa" Misty teased making Ash glare at the ceiling angrily.

"Actually it's still mine lil sis" Daisy burst Misty's bubble instantly.

"Haha" Ash mocked his ex-girlfriend childishly from his position.

"Shut up Ash" Misty growled, yet it wasn't antagonistic in nature.

"Oh and what are you going to do?" he challenged as he practically tread on the boundary line of tolerance.

"Kick you out of here" she said with joking intention, but for some reason Ash didn't take it that way, his way of viewing things in regards to Misty had become twisted since their break-up so he thought she meant it.

"Don't worry about that" Ash said as he got out of his seat and stared at Misty with an apathetic look which was scarier than any angry face that he could muster. "I'm off" Ash said venomously and walked to the back door, exiting swiftly taking everyone by surprise.

"What's gotten into him?" Misty asked out loud which earned her a disappointed gaze by everyone present.

"Misty... sweetie I know you didn't mean it but you sounded quite harsh just now" Delia said as she observed Ash's gift on the table, still unwrapped.

"What no I didn't" Misty protested, yet deep down she knew there was a possibility.

"Misty..." Brock said in a tone which practically made more sense to Misty than anything Delia or Daisy could say to her.

"Just stop ok" Misty asked which made the trio of people in front of her frown awkwardly at each other before leaving Misty alone without a word. _"Where are they going?" _she wondered as they disappeared from view. _"Great their taking his side!" _Misty thought angrily as she observed the gift in front of her.

As she stared at the unwrapped gift she felt a strange longing to open it. Truth be told it was the first time Ash had ever bought her a birthday present, mainly because he was never good at remembering dates, so the fact that there was a present from her ex in front of her filled her with a natural curiosity.

"_I wonder what it is" _Misty thought as she turned her head to notice that Ash had completely disappeared, which she assumed to be up the 'mountain path' which if followed unveiled a beautiful aerial view of the sea.

"It's not like I care" Misty said as she grabbed the gift and opened it savagely to reveal a small box which she opened instantly. "Huh what's this?" Misty whispered with hitched as she plucked up the item. "Oh wow" she gasped as she admired the present which was a silver necklace with a Luvdisc on it.

As Misty looked at it Delia came back into the room and gave Misty a firm look. "Ash spent days looking for that" she said with a determined voice which seemed to bring everything into perspective for Misty.

"R-really?" she asked making the older woman nod.

"I don't know what happened between you two... but I still see something there" Delia said with a small smile. "Well that's all, I have to help in the kitchen" Delia said as she walked off leaving Misty alone to her thoughts.

"_Why does everyone keep saying that?" _Misty wondered as she got to her feet and made her way out of the house on instinct.

As Misty made her way through the hilly region which was covered with pine trees and exotic flowers she growled, she didn't know why but she suddenly felt the urge to confront Ash about everything. _"Perhaps it was Mrs. Ketchum's words" _Misty thought as she continued to trudge uphill until she reached a small, lake like area.

"What is this place?" Misty gasped as she walked over to it, only to see Ash lying on the grass, cursing quietly under his breath.

"Ash?" Misty asked catching the man's attention.

"What is it Mist?" Ash asked with a tone which was far too rough to sound natural. "Come to break the peace again?" he asked as he got to his feet and looked at her with eyes which displayed how hurt he felt.

"What's all this about Ash?" Misty questioned with equal potency. "You're the one who messed everything up" she blamed. _"Wait I didn't come out here to argue" _Misty thought as Ash smirked at her.

"Oh really?" Ash asked as he turned away. "It's always my fault isn't it Misty" Ash asked in a hurt voice which took her back a little.

"Well it certainly wasn't mine, Mr. Never Called Me" Misty said defensively which made Ash grimace.

"Yeah only because whenever I did you'd just end up shouting at me" Ash said as he turned away immaturely. "Sorry for not being the perfect guy of your dreams Mist" Ash said which seemed to strike a chord.

"W-what?" Misty asked as her breathing hitched, she didn't know why but the words hurt. "You have no idea what I want or how I feel!" Misty shouted back which made Ash give her a cold stare.

"Like you could ever understand how I'm feeling either" Ash accused only serving to upset Misty more.

"You know what Ash YOU were the one who was wrong NOT me" Misty shouted as a few tears escaped her emerald green eyes.

"You always say that Mist, it's your fault Ash, your fault, your fault!" Ash shouted back, a rare anger that Misty didn't know he possessed taking over him. "You never admitted when you were wrong" Ash then said in a calmer voice which seemed to make the words sting more than before.

"You're the same" Misty argued back in futility but Ash looked away uninterested. "Great... after that present I thought you still cared... I guess I was wrong" Misty said, her tears evident in her voice which seemed to snap Ash out of his raging stupor.

"M-Mist?" Ash stuttered as he saw how upset he made her, it tore at his heart, he wanted to apologise but he couldn't since it would be admitting defeat. "..." Ash tried to speak but nothing came out.

"..." Misty also replied, unable to say anything, they just ended up staring into each other's eyes, wondering if they were truly angry or if they just wanted to get everything out into the open.

"_I'm sorry" _both thought in unison but they never voiced it.

As they continued to stare at each other the sound of water splashing was present and yet this didn't deter them from staring, this proved to be the start of their long week.

"Manaphy?" a blue aquatic Pokémon cried as it observed the two, it's bulbous head shaking side to side as it sensed the feelings inside the heart of the two 'combatants'. "Mana, Manaphy" it cried as it tried to capture their attention, to make them stop as it knew how they truly felt.

Yet they never turned to look at the creature, instead they continued staring at each other, not budging an inch. So out of the goodness of the creature's heart it decided to do something, something that would alter the lives of the two whose hearts should have been connected.

"Manaaa" it cried out as a pink glow flowed out of its antennae and seeped into both Misty and Ash, forming a thread between them.

"What is this?" Ash stuttered as he stared at it, Misty's reaction mirrored his. "I think I've seen this before it-"he began to explain but before he could finish he collapsed face first, directly in sync with the woman who stood opposite him.

As the two lay unconscious in front of the legendary prince of the sea the Pokémon smiled, thinking that it would all be for the best. "Mana" it cried as it retreated back into the water, unaware that it had inflicted upon them something even it didn't know it could do.

The Manaphy Curse... Seven Days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok the chapter was way too serious for my liking, however it needed to be. Ok this is AU and also the Manaphy Curse that will be present is not Canon it's something I've made up, but I hope you enjoy it. Anyways this story will probably comprise of only 9 chapters, albeit some of them will be long.

I hope you review and tell me what you think, I have the entire story planned out so I'll be able to complete it quickly if I can find some added motivation.

Thanks for reading.

-Aquilon.


	2. Day One Part One

Change of Perspective Chapter Two

Wow I can't believe what a quick turnout I received, this is the most amount of reviews I've got in such a short space of time for a first chapter so... thank you very much. Just a random fact I love Manaphy it's so cute and my favourite Pokémon... anyway on with the show.

Day One – Part One

Groggy, light headed and weak this is how Ash felt as he opened his eyes slowly, cursing in a strangely soft voice as rays of morning sun stung his eyes. "Ugh" he moaned once again with a familiar soft tone as he rolled onto his side.

"_I hate mornings... especially after bad nights" _he thought as he forced one leg out of the softer than the norm bed. _"Ah at least the bed is nice" _the man thought as he placed both feet on the ground and forced himself out of bed, nearly toppling over in the process.

"_Huh?" _Ash thought, eyes still only partially open. _"Heavy" _was his first thought as he walked forward and lifted an arm which lightly slapped his chest before reaching its destination above his head.

"_Wait that's not right" _his fragmented thoughts told him. _"I feel lighter except for my chest area... this is all wrong" _he thought as his mind rapidly began to awaken. "Pikachu?" he tried to say but was beaten to the punch by his ex-girlfriend.

"Misty?" he asked but once again only her voice was heard. _"Wait why would Mist be..." _Ash thought as his eyes shot open upon possible recognition. "Wait a minute" Ash's new soft voice trembled "this isn't my room!" he cried as he spied a mirror on the far side and made his way to it with small, hesitant steps.

He didn't look down, only in front. It was a dream he told himself as he got closer and closer to the mirror which possessed a frame with a Gyarados colour-scheme.

The seconds seemed to be moving faster than normal, as if time wanted Ash to verify his fears before everyone else did. _"This can't be..." _Ash thought as he made the final step which revealed his fate. "..." Ash tried to speak, to make a witty remark, anything to put a light hearted spin on what he was witnessing but he couldn't. All he could do was stare, stare into the emerald eyes he missed, which he now possessed.

"_This can't be happening" _Ash thought as he directed his new, thin trembling arm to his cheek before rubbing it as to become accustomed to the touch. "H-how" he whispered with the voice of his former love "this... is... not... happening" he said with a haunted tone as he forced his vision to the side.

"Calm down... calm... calm" Ash repeated in a mantra, but with every time he said calm his breathing deepened. "Ahhhhhh" he finally let go, he intended to shout but it came out as a girlish scream, wounding his pride slightly.

"Lil Mis shut up!" the voice of Violet, Misty's second oldest sister shouted angrily from across the hall, but Ash didn't hear it too well, all he could focus on was how weak he felt and honestly, how scared.

"How did I get here" Ash asked himself since he couldn't answer how he came to be what he was. "... That pink light last night" Ash thought before shaking his head. "Calm down" he said again as his breathing became heavy again.

"_Damn it act like a man ASH!" _he chastised himself as before shaking his head, tousling his untied ginger hair in the process. _"Think if I'm now Mist... she must be me" _he reasoned as he began to compose himself.

"I should get clean, then meet up with her" he whispered as he made his way to Misty's private bathroom. _"I never thought I'd see this body... like this" _Ash thought as he breathed in slowly and removed the pyjama's he found himself wearing, instantly regretting it when the cold air met his now sensitive skin.

"Colllld" he cried out as his teeth chattered. _"Still two more articles of clothing" _Ash thought as he looked down and saw the cups of a light green bra. "I know how to do this" he told himself as he awkwardly moved his hands to his back and messed with the clasp.

"_Ugh how do women deal with this every day" _Ash's mind cursed as he finally stuck gold, freeing himself from what bounded 'his' chest. "Ok Ash... don't look down" he whispered as he kept his head tall and stripped off the panties.

"_If I look she'll kill me... if I look she'll kill me, if I look..." _he repeated as his eyes dropped downwards. _"Shit I looked" _he thought as his eyes fixated on Misty's amble chest. "..." Ash said wordlessly as a blush crept onto his new pale face.

"_Bad thoughts" _he told himself as he climbed into the shower and turned the dial, allowing water to touch his grateful skin.

* * *

"Pika Pika?" the electric-mouse Pokémon cried as it sniffed Ash's body, sensing something was off from the off-put. He didn't know why but he could sense that this person was no his best-friend of the last nine years.

As Pikachu began to sniff the newly body-swapped Misty he recoiled and cried out again, making the woman-now-man groan in frustration. "Pika!" Pikachu cried again trying to wake Misty up but she just rolled over and ignored it.

"Just a few more minutes" Misty moaned however this only served to awaken her from her slumber in an instant. "Ash?" she asked instantly only to hear Ash's voice. "Huh this is weird" Misty muttered, eyes widening in recognition.

"What's wrong with my voice?" she asked as she looked to the side to see Pikachu tilting his head in confusion. "P-Pikachu?" she asked with Ash's voice which only made things more confusing and freaky for her.

"Pika!" the Pokémon cried defensively as he got onto all fours, electricity crackling around his body.

"W-what's the matter Pikachu?" she almost quailed with Ash's masculine voice, confused and afraid about what was happening.

Not giving time to explain Pikachu increased its voltage and with a loud "Pi-ka-chuuuuuuu!" he unleashed a furious thunderbolt which made the woman-turned-man scream out in agony, startling the woman in the kitchen below the room.

"Ash, are you alright up there?" Delia's concerned voice reached Misty's now-charred ears.

"... Yeah I-I'm fine" Misty shouted back, having somehow grasped what was going on already by merely looking down on her body. "How is this happening?" she whispered as she turned to Pikachu who was growling angrily.

"Pikachu calm down please, it's me" she tried to explain to the angry Pokémon.

"Pika?" it questioned.

"Misty... it's Misty" she explained as the mouse blinked in recognition, tilting its head as if asking for confirmation. "It really is Pikachu please believe me" she pleaded with her ex's loyal partner who approached her and sniffed her again.

"Pika" he blinked and looked up at her before diving at her with joy "Pikapi!" he cried happily, glad that it wasn't a complete stranger inside his best friend.

"How could you tell?" Misty asked the Pokémon which shrugged before nuzzling his head against her side. "Ah so you're as lost as I am" she said as she began to pet Pikachu softly making the small creature cry out 'chaa' in satisfaction.

As she continued to stroke the electric-type her thoughts drifted to the night before and her 'savage' argument with her ex. _"I shouldn't have let him bait me" _she thought as she observed her new, larger hands. "I have to see Ash" she decided as she got up much to Pikachu's dissatisfaction.

"Pikachu where does Ash keep his Pokégear?" she asked curiously as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. _"This is like a very bad dream" _she thought as she saw Pikachu's reflection pointing to the bedside cabinet.

"Pikapi" he told his favourite human female which made Misty smile.

"Thanks Pikachu" Misty said as she tore her vision from the mirror and made her way over to the small cabinet which housed a small Voltorb alarm clock. "Let's see here" Misty said with her new voice as she picked up the black and gold Pokégear. "My number should be right about he-"she deduced she was proved incorrect, her number was nowhere to be found.

"What?" she asked sounding slightly hurt by the discovery.

"Pika-Pika" Pikachu told her as he shook his head.

"He never had my number?" she asked making the electric-type nod furiously. "Wait... he only ever called me on my house phone" Misty said with a gasp. "Don't say I never..." Misty said in a disbelieving tone before stopping herself.

'You know what Ash YOU were the one who was wrong NOT me.'

"That's right!" she whispered in agreement to her past self, yesterday's self. "Nevermind I know my number anyway" Misty reasoned as she quickly dialled her own phone, something she never thought she'd do outside of the times when she'd lost it.

'Hey it's Misty! Sorry I'm not-'

"Grrr!" Misty growled as she hung up instantly.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"Pikachu, do you know why Ash isn't answering the phone?" Misty asked the small Pokémon, she knew it was a long shot but Ash and Pikachu did everything together so there was a chance.

"Pika-pika" Pikachu started as he fell onto his side instantly and closed his eyes before opening them quickly.

"Sleeping?" Misty asking which made the Pokémon leap into the air and magically conjure a sign with a circle on it which meant she was correct. "Is that all?" Misty asked gaining a shake of the head from the cute yellow powerhouse.

"Piiiika-Piiiika" Pikachu practically sang as he rubbed his head with his small arms before doing it to the rest of his body, he then did the action of turning a knob or a dial.

"Showering?" Misty asked getting an excited nod and another confirmation that she was correct. _"... Well I can't get too mad... even if it's my body he's showering in" _Misty thought as her teeth began to grind, frightening Pikachu slightly.

"Pika-Pikapikachuu" he cried, hoping Misty would not kill his master.

"Keep calm..." Misty told herself as she fought the urge to unleash her demon-like rage. "It's not his fault... wait it is his fault... his fault" she whispered as she brought both of her eyes, trying to avoid seeing the red-mist which was descending.

"_Stop it... you're not really that angry" _her mind told her and to be honest it was true; in fact her rage was more embarrassment than anything else. "I'll just get my own back" she whispered, an eye for an eye and all that nonsense.

So with a bravery and calmness she didn't know she possessed she removed her hands from her new eyes and reached for the boxer shorts she wore, pulling them out to spy the contents. "Why hello there" she said with a small smile, thinking it was ample revenge for what Ash had surely done.

* * *

As the man-turned-woman left the bathroom he ensured that the towel was tight around his body, swearing to himself that he'd never do THAT again. "... That was interesting" Ash said honestly as he noticed how different his skin felt now. _"This is so... weird... kind of pleasant... no weird and pleasant?" _he queried as he sat on the bed and allowed his new body to dry.

"What to do now" Ash spoke out loud, still not accustomed to his new voice. "I have to see Misty" he said shakily, not knowing how he'd face her, especially after what he'd just felt. _"Misty's body sure is sensitive" _Ash thought as his face began to burn.

"_Ok enough of that... you're a guy, a guy!" _he reminded himself as he got off the bed and boldly discarded the towel. _"Don't you dare look in the mirror or I'll kill you" _he imagined Misty's voice telling him, despite this he disobeyed shamefully.

"Woah..." he gasped before looking away instantly. "This is so wrong I can't even explain it" he thought as Misty's naked form burned itself into his memories. "Enough... get dressed and decide what to do from there" he said to himself calmly as he pulled open what seemed to be hundreds of drawers before finding what he was 'looking' for.

"I am not going to be caught dead wearing this" he thought as he pulled out some rather 'risqué' panties. "She doesn't wear this kind of stuff all the time does she?" he asked as his mind remembered the undergarments he stripped off in the bathroom.

"_They were... so different from this" _he concluded as he shoved the underwear back in the drawer. "She must wear these on 'special occasions'" he mused cynically as a small glare graced his now beautiful face.

"_Don't get jealous" _he told himself as he shuffled through the drawer looking for something a little less... frilly and something with a gender neutral colour, after minutes of observation he finally settled for an almost plain pair of light blue panties. "God this feels so wrong" after quickly putting them on.

The matching bra, which was a little more feminine, was a whole different story. It was quite possibly the most difficult thing he'd ever put on, but after numerous attempts he finally succeeded and in doing so almost felt proud of himself as if he'd achieved something.

"Phew... it's over" he thought as sat down on the bed again. _"Mist's sisters are out there right?" _he thought, remembering when Violet shouted at him earlier. "Great..." Ash sighed. "Now I actually have to look presentable" he exhaled tiredly, as he got back to his feet and made his way over to Misty's wardrobe.

"_Misty looked cute on that one 'date' we had" _Ash thought as he remembered happier times. _"She didn't look too dressy either... those clothes should be somewhere" _he thought as he pulled out three articles of clothing.

The first was something he would wear without much hesitation, it was a white and blue sleeveless top with a Spheal on it and whilst it revealed some cleavage it wasn't enough to make Ash feel awkward. The next piece of clothing was even easier for him as it was a simple, sleeveless zip-up hoodie which was yellow in colour though there were two baby blue strings hanging from the hood.

The next however was problematic for Ash's masculine pride which was being wounded at an alarming rate. _"Misty always wore these without a problem" _he thought as he stared at the blue denim shorts which made him gulp. "It's too hot for jeans..." Ash whispered as he remembered how Misty hated wearing them unless it was freezing cold.

"Why me" he practically cried as he slowly pulled them up his legs, willing himself to be brave and cope. "It's only temporary" he said quickly in a failed attempt to soothe his fears. "One step at a time" he said as he finally pulled them completely up and fastened the buttons, which were the opposite way around on women's clothing causing him some confusion.

"There all done!" he said as he took in the weird feeling of vulnerability. "Is this how... all women feel or is it because I've never worn anything like this before?" he questioned as he looked at himself in the mirror, appraising Misty's natural beauty in the process.

'You're hair is really beautiful you should leave it long more often'

Ash remembered what he told Misty when she wore this on their first 'not a date' and smiled before letting out a loud sigh.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this" he said as he grabbed a stray hair brush and got to work.

* * *

As Misty walked down the stairs of the Ketchum Residence she was instantly met with the sight of Ash's mum, a woman who she considered a mother figure to her. "Ash what are you doing where those clothes?" she asked all of a sudden catching Misty by surprise.

"I uhh" Misty tried to explain the almost formal wear she picked out, she didn't like to admit it but Ash looked kind of sexy in smart clothes and she didn't mind indulging herself on the reflection for a while.

"So handsome just like your father... sorry" Delia said before covering her mouth, having committed the cardinal sin of mentioning Ash's father in front of him.

"Really?" Misty asked, bewildering the older woman who had never heard her son act like that when his father was mentioned.

"Oh... umm yeah" Delia answered hesitantly, wondering if her son was feeling all right. "Ash sweetie... is something wrong?" she asked making Misty flinch instantly.

"No, not at all I-I'm fine" she lied poorly as she avoided eye contact. _"Real smooth Mist" _she thought in Ash's tone which only served to anger her.

"Okay..." Delia awkwardly replied as she looked around nervously, feeling a strange tension between her and Ash. "Oh I know... you must be hungry" Delia practically sang before waltzing off to the kitchen.

"Umm yeah... that's it m-mum" Misty confirmed hesitantly as Delia walked away, the reason for this was because she'd never had the chance to call anybody mum.

"Ash you just wait in there I'll be right out" Delia said in such a way that Misty would feel bad if she refused. Delia may have been Ash's mother but she was the closest Misty ever had to one as well.

After a few minutes of waiting the Ketchum matriarch came out and placed food in front of Misty "there you go" she chimed before walking around the table and sitting in front of her. As Misty dug into the food, more delicately than usual Delia noticed the older woman smiled. "So did you see Misty last night?" Delia asked making the woman-turned-man's eyes go wide.

"..." Misty didn't reply with words because her mouth was full but she did nod, this brought a smile to Delia's face.

"So how did it go?" she asked with an odd hopefulness which Misty didn't fail to spot.

"Fine... we just talked" Misty lied. _"More like argued" _she thought as she stuffed her mouth with more food.

"That's good, I was worried because Brock came back carrying the two of you" Delia said with a genuine smile which made Misty feel strangely guilty. "We couldn't wake you up so Daisy took Misty back to Cerulean City and I drove you back here" Delia let the body-swapped woman know, whom nodded as she allowed the information to soak into her brain.

"Oh so that's what happened" Misty whispered as she turned to see Pikachu eating some food. "I was hit by a pink light so I don't remember much" Misty revealed which made Delia gasp.

"Maybe you should ask Samuel" Delia advised in regards to her teacher Professor Oak.

"No that's ok mum, I already know who I'm going to ask" Misty revealed making the older woman raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Who?"

"Nurse Joy in Cerulean City" Misty revealed which brought a sly smile to the older woman's face. "What?" Misty asked, now feeling a lot more comfortable with the situation.

"Ash sweetie you don't have to lie to me" the woman informed with a wink. "If you want to see Misty just say so"

"..."

"_I'll be using this as an excuse then, sorry Mrs. Ketchum" _the woman-turned-man thought as she got to her feet. "Sorry for lying" Misty lied. "Do you mind if I go now?" she asked, both to get to Cerulean as soon as possible and to avoid eating too much.

"Not at all sweetie" Delia chimed, bringing a genuine smile to Misty's face. "If you're quick you can catch the magnet train in Viridian" she then informed Misty whose eyes brightened.

"Thank you Mrs Ket-... uhh mum" Misty said as she got up and ran to the door, hoping that she hadn't just blown her cover.

* * *

As Ash walked into the hallway he was instantly met with the sight of Misty's youngest sister Lily which made him mentally face palm. _"I bump into one of them already... how unlucky am I today?" _he asked rhetorically as he tried to make himself invisible and walk past.

"Oh my god" Lily exclaimed, making the most recent Indigo League victor flinch.

"_Did I already blow my cover?" _Ash panicked as he turned to look at Lily with almost frightened eyes.

"Vi come out here, I think Misty is like sick or something" her typical airheaded tone cried out which made Ash consider running for the nearest exit but before he got the chance Violet was already out of her room, curious as to why Lily would even care, that is until she saw him.

"OH-EM-G" Violet said as she pushed past Lily and stared right at Misty. "What's the special occasion lil Mis?" Violet questioned with what seemed to be excitement.

"Nothing" Ash lied as he broke eye contact he was never a good liar and this proved it. "Why would you think that... Vi?" Ash then asked as he slowly stepped backwards, making sure to use the correct nickname that Misty used.

"_Lily is Lil, Violet is Vi and Daisy is Dais" _Ash recounted in his mind as he began to retreat only to be grabbed from behind by Lily who was embarrassingly stronger than him in his current state. "Uh-uh-uh, no running lil Mis" Lily taunted in a way that made him cringe.

"Now tell us, what's the occasion?" Violet asked curiously as a small giggle escaped her lips. _"I guess this is why Misty always spoke badly of her sisters" _Ash thought as he tried his best to imitate Misty's angry expression. "Ah now that's my little sister" Violet joked, but the look in her eyes showed that she still wanted answers.

"Why would you even think there's a special occasion?" Ash asked just as he managed to shrug Lily off of him.

"Your hair, outfit and the fact that you didn't get angry at me instantly" Violet and Lily said in tandem, Ash assumed it must of been their connection as twins that allowed them to do that.

"Is it a date?" Lily asked from behind him.

"If I said it was would you leave me alone?" Ash asked almost aggressively.

"Maybe" Violet offered for Lily who was having way too much fun tormenting her little sister.

"Then yes" Ash lied which made Violet and Lily laugh excitedly. "W-what's going on" Ash stuttered as Violet grabbed him by the arm and pulled him, at the same time Lily pushed from behind.

"You're so getting a makeover lil Mis" Lily and Violet said in sync which made his eyes widen with absolute terror.

"W-wait NOOOO" was his response as he was dragged kicking and screaming into Violet's room, much to the delight of the twin sisters.

Less than two hours had passed of Ash's life in Misty's shoes and he was already going through hell.

* * *

"It's been so long since I've used the Magnet Train Pikachu" Misty said as she watched the beautiful Kanto scenery from the window seat.

"Pi-ka-chu" the mouse replied happily from Misty's lap, almost 'purring' when Misty began to scratch behind his ears.

"First we have to meet Ash and then we have to see Joy" Misty said in regards to her good friend, the nurse Joy of Cerulean City.

"Pikapi!" the mouse cried in excitement to hearing his trainer's name. _"If only I could be as excited as you are" _Misty thought as she felt a vibration in her pocket, after a quick investigation she found out it was Ash's Pokégear so she answered it.

"Misty is that you?" a voice cried down the receiver before she got the chance to speak, yet the voice was definitely familiar.

"... Yes" Misty replied after all it was obvious who was calling.

"Oh good at least you're me" Ash said in a sarcastic manner, it was even more irksome that it was her own voice that was saying it.

"What's your problem Ash?" Misty asked in an angry manner but it came out sounding very violent instead which made a few of the passengers turn to look at her which made her feel nervous. "..."

"Everyone is staring aren't they" Ash said in an almost wise manner which surprised the youngest Waterflower.

"H-how did you know?" Misty asked curiously.

"You sound like a guy shouting at his girlfriend down the phone, remind you of anyone?" Ash replied in a hurt way which made Misty feel kind of guilty. "Not cool" he then said which reminded Misty of what Ash said the previous night.

'Yeah only because whenever I did you'd just end up shouting at me'

"_And here I thought I was always the victim" _Misty thought as she bit her lip, unable to take in the information that she might be partially to blame.

"Why did you call back Ash?" Misty asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Well I guess I am the only person who would call back when I saw a call from myself" Ash sarcastically replied which made Misty feel kind of stupid.

"_I walked right into that one" _she thought as she face palmed and looked down at Pikachu who was eyeing the receiver intently. "Uh Ash give me a second" Misty said before holding the receiver low to Pikachu's mouth. "It's Ash" Misty informed the Pokémon who brightened in an instant before shouting down the phone to his best friend.

As Misty watched Pikachu interact over the phone she was filled with a strange type of jealousy. She always wondered how she could never communicate well with Ash when anybody else could, be it humans or Pokémon, she was one of the few exceptions.

"Sorry I have to talk now Pikachu" Misty said as she raised the phone but not before Pikachu said goodbye in his own way.

"Bye Pikachu" Ash said with sickening affection down the phone.

"Ash it's me" said with a blank expression on her face.

"Oh... anyway back to the subject... why did you call?" Ash asked.

"Wait didn't you call me?"

"But you called me first" Ash said quickly in response.

"_This is going to turn into another argument if I don't take the high-road" _Misty thought as she let go of her pride for a few minutes. "Ash we need to talk, I'm on my way to Cerulean City can you meet me at the Pokémon centre?" she asked calmly much to his surprise.

"Of course, anything to get out of this house" Ash said in an almost pained way.

"Ash what happened?" Misty queried almost curiously.

"You'll see when you get here" Ash said elusively letting out what seemed to be a genuine laugh even if it was slightly self-depreciating. "See you later Mist" he then said before hanging up, leaving Misty suitably confused.

"_How can we be at each other's throats one minute and then share a joke the next... only us... only us" _Misty sighed as she placed the Pokégear into her pocket and resumed staring out the window.

* * *

As the clock struck twelve noon Misty stepped off the train and made her way towards the Pokémon Centre which didn't take her long to reach, after all Cerulean was HER city.

As the Pokémon centre came into sight so did a very petty young woman. She had longer ginger hair and seemed to be wearing a yellow hoodie and some denim shorts along with some orange hi-tops and a Luvdisc... necklace. _"NO... FRIGGIN... WAY" _Misty thought as she started at Ash who was DEFINATELY wearing make-up, the sight brought on tears of laughter, but also a deep seated envy... she never thought she was that pretty.

"Ash what in the"

"Don't even say it" Ash responded instantly with an angry look on his new delicate features. "Do your sisters always want to play dress-up?" Ash's tone of voice matched his expression as he subconsciously put his hands on his hips.

"No... only when I'm going on a date" Misty said with a grin, strangely satisfied that Ash was very annoyed and that he didn't pull off that look on his own.

"Well I picked the clothes, your sister's just did the make-up" Ash revealed, confusing the youngest Waterflower.

"Really?" Misty asked in wonderment... Ash actually had some fashion sense... and that was kind of disturbing in its own right.

"Yeah but don't get angry or anything I mean come on look what you're wearing!" Ash practically screamed as he pointed at Misty's clothes.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Misty asked in a violent manner which got a few odd stares from passer-by's.

"Wow look now you're being treated like the bad one" Ash said with a small, faked innocent smile.

"So you admit that you're the one at fault?" Misty asked as her argumentative nature kicked in again.

"When did I ever say that?" Ash asked immaturely as he looked away and sighed. _"Why are we still arguing?" _Ash wondered as he too decided to take the high-road.

"Mist let's just stop" he finally said, taking the woman-turned-man by surprise.

"Yeah... I think that would be good" Misty agreed as she turned around and saw the confused look on Pikachu's face. "It's definitely Ash" Misty told the little yellow creature which seemed to smile at her before running through her legs and jumping into Ash's arms.

"PikachuPi" Pikachu cried out as Ash him.

"Pikachu I'm glad you're here buddy" Ash said honestly with his new soft voice which made Misty smile at the scene, Ash was always adorable with his Pokémon... even in her body it remained so.

"Chaa" Pikachu cried out as he squirmed out of Ash's arms and onto his shoulder.

"So... what are we doing here Mist?" Ash asked as he adjusted his vision upwards since she was the taller one now.

"Nurse Joy is a close friend of mine, she's also a really good doctor, she'll believe what we say" Misty informed Ash who seemed to understand what she meant.

"So it's to find out what's wrong and we need someone who will believe us?" Ash asked curiously gaining a small nod from Misty. "Ok then" Ash said as he span on his heel and walked in without informing the woman.

"Hey Ash stop a minute" Misty practically ordered and for the first time in years Ash obeyed without any complaint, much to his own surprise.

"Yeah?"

"Call me Ash until we get into her office, just tell Joy you desperately need to talk to her and I'll do the rest" Misty told the former male who nodded, feeling unnaturally happy about Misty's assertiveness.

"Fine... _Ash_" he teased before entering to centre, unaware that they had just made the first step towards rebuilding their broken relationship.

Manaphy's curse... time is running out with every passing second.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ah I think this will end up being 20 chapters long actually, with every day having two chapters each, well except for day Zero which was a prologue. You may be wondering if this was just a normal heart-swap, I assure you it isn't.

Preview: ... You will find out what the Manaphy Curse is!

I was impressed with the amount of reviews and it got me writing faster, so please if you read this fiction and enjoyed it, LEAVE A REVIEW and I may write the next chapter just as fast.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

-Aquilon


	3. Day One Part Two

Change of Perspective Chapter Three

I can't believe it you reviewers and readers are just fantastic. Am I blessed to have you awesome anons and users for readers, some of the reviews brought a smile to my face when I woke up and that's rare since I am not a morning person!

Either way thank you and it's time to learn about the Curse of the Manaphy... yarr.

Day One Part Two

She told him her plan and he agreed off the bat in a strange moment of submissiveness from the recent Indigo League Victory. _"I'm Misty... Misty... Misty" _Ash's mind repeated so he wouldn't forget what to say as he walked up to the reception desk in Cerulean City's Pokémon Centre.

"Hi there how may I help you-"Nurse Joy droned her usual greeting, her vision pointed downwards to a form she was filling out and by the looks of it she wasn't enjoying herself. The mere sight rendered the man-turned-woman unable to talk, after all an unhappy Joy was as rare as finding a legendary Pokémon... in his case anyway.

"Uhh" Ash's new voice mumbled as he attempted to locate the correct words in that thing of his called a brain. _"I can perform in front of a whole stadium but I get stage fright speaking to a Nurse Joy, how low can I fall?" _Ash thought sarcastically as he turned to Misty who seemed to be enjoying his suffering and indecisiveness.

'What do I say?' Ash mimed to his ex with an almost panicked look on his face.

"Just talk" Misty said in a voice just loud enough to catch the concentrating Nurse's attention.

"Oh I'm so sorry I was just filling out some-" Joy said as her head lifted to Ash and Misty. "Oh hello there Misty what can I do for you today?" she chimed with renewed vigour which she gained from the sight of her friend.

"..." was the only response as Ash and Misty stood silent as they stared at Joy. As the seconds past into a full minute Misty sighed in embarrassment.

"_Misty" _she growled as she stealthily kicked her former body's leg with a little force which enough to make the intruder in her body to yelp in pain as he jumped up.

"Hey what was that for!" Ash cried as he turned around, left leg now hovering above the floor as he hopped up and down in pain.

"Ahem... you're up _Misty_" Misty said to her occasionally mentally challenged ex-boyfriend.

"O-oh yeah!" a startled Ash stuttered revealing that he had already forgotten the plan, which sadly to say was not surprising for the water type expert.

"Misty are you alright?" Joy asked with concern as Ash glared at his former body scornfully.

"N-Never better" Ash shrilled as he winced in pain. _"Damn how weak is this body... or was I just strong?" _he thought as he plastered a fake smile on his face and turned to Joy.

"Ok..." Joy said, doubt seeping into her tone as she too smiled back, masking her confusion as to why Misty was acting so weird. "So how can I help you today?" Joy asked again with a little more force and curiosity.

"Oh... is there umm" Ash started before turning to Misty who mimed 'say anything!' at him, forcing him sigh in defeat. "There's something I desperately need to talk to you about... privately" he revealed as Joy gasped.

"Is he related?" she whispered, pointing at Misty who felt kind of self-conscious at the gesture.

"He?" Ash asked as if Joy had said something outrageous. _"Remember you're Misty right now!" _his brain assisted him as he broke out into a nervous sweat. "O-oh yeah... he is involved... uh can he come too?" Ash asked getting a small, suspicious nod from Joy who knew she was being lied to or at least deceived in some manner.

"Follow me" she told the two as she got up and walked off towards a nearby office.

"I'm pretty good at this lying stuff right?" Ash whispered proudly as he and Misty walked a few paces behind Joy who was getting even more suspicious by the whispering.

"Ash you suck, you should stop while you're ahead" Misty honestly informed her ex with a small glare on her face which made her look kind of intimidating.

"Wow aren't you a barrel of compliments" Ash's sarcasm flowed out once more.

"Don't make me kick you again" Misty growled and as hoped the threat did the trick because the man-turned-woman flinched fearfully. _"I could get used to this" _she thought deviously.

"I'll behave" Ash said in a child-like manner which almost broke Misty's angry facade.

"Whatever" was all Misty could say to mask her amusement as she entered the office with Ash.

* * *

"So what do you need to talk about Misty?" the Nurse Joy in her early thirties asked as she sat down at her personal desk.

"Uhh how do I explain this?" Ash started as he took a seat along with Misty who snorted at Ash's nervousness. "We kind of uhh..."

"Swapped bodies" Misty finished for her ex who didn't seem to be getting anywhere with his explanation which made the Nurse blink a few times as if trying to take in what she just heard.

"C-could you repeat that please, I don't think I heard you correctly" Nurse Joy requested as she stared at Ash and Misty carefully.

"I'm him, he's me" Misty in Ash's body said in a deadly serious tone as she pointed to her former body and then to herself.

"Uh what she said" Ash said awkwardly, even he knew that Misty was starting to sound a little crazy which embarrassed him immensely.

"..." Nurse Joy tried to speak but all that occurred was a small giggle which eventually erupted into a fit of laughter which made the woman-turned-man flush bright red.

"Great job Mist now someone thinks I'm mentally ill" Ash said sarcastically as he watched the Nurse Joy in front of him laugh her eyes out.

"Well by that way of talking you're making me sound crazy too" Misty deflected the insult as the need to push the blame onto Ash increased.

"Not crazier than you" Ash said in a childish manner, reverting to how they used to argue when they were children.

"Oh yeah want to bet?" Misty growled defiantly as sparks formed between their eyes.

As their argument flared up once again the older woman stopped laughing leaving the world of joy only to enter the world of Ash and Misty, which was an eternal battlefield. "Uh... you two"

"What?" Ash in Misty's body asked aggressively getting a kick to the shin for his trouble which made him cry out once more, this time even more painfully than the last.

"Shut up" the woman-turned-man demanded.

"Hey there's no need to hit me!" Ash whined as a few tears almost escaped his face, he wasn't crying it was just a natural reaction to pain, kind of like when you hit your nose really hard or so he reasoned anyway.

"Look she's not going to believe us if you talk like that!" Misty argued in a low tone which made Ash laugh ironically.

"Yeah _because _kicking me is so going to convince her" Ash's sarcasm came through once more which made the Nurse Joy sigh tiredly before giving directing a sharp glare at both of them.

"Will you two just calm down!" she ordered, silencing the two bickering adults who seemingly reverted to the form of two guilty children, well this Nurse Joy was a mother after all.

"Sorry!" both of them apologised instantly making her sigh for a third time, or was it a fourth... to be honest she'd lost count.

"It's okay..." she informed them as she picked up and pencil and tapped the desk rhythmically to alleviate some of her boredom. "Are you two being serious about the body swapping?" she questioned seriously, after all anybody who'd argue like that so easily either had serious problems or were frustrated that they weren't being believed.

"Yes we are Nurse Joy" Misty confirmed as Ash nodded his total agreement.

"Have you got any proof... tell me something that only Misty would know" she said as she looked at Ash's body, clearly not believing them yet.

"Ok then" Misty said as she turned to Ash. "Cover your ears" she ordered and Ash nodded as he covered his ears, he even went a step further by quietly singing the tune to 'I wanna be the very best' which almost brought an amused smile to Misty's lips as she leaned over and whispered in Joy's ear.

"Uh-huh, uh hmm" Joy hummed as she listened to the man-turned-woman before forming an 'O' with her lips. "Oh my, it really is you!" she declared as Misty finished her story.

"I knew you'd believe me" Misty said with a smile as she turned to Ash. "Hey Ash you can stop now"

"Gotta catch em all, gotta catch em aaallll" Ash began to sing which made the former ginger twitch in anger.

"HEY STOP THAT!" Misty roared with her new authoritative voice which pierced the 'sound barrier' of Ash's hands, freezing him on the spot.

"... Sorry" Ash said bashfully as he looked away. "I sounded pretty damn good" he self complimented making Nurse Joy giggle in the process.

"Hey Joy don't encourage him" Misty demanded but Joy simply waved away her complaints with her hand.

"It's fine..." Joy said as she leaned forward in her chair. "I must say... this is quite fascinating" the woman spoke as she stared at Ash and Misty. "Hmm... do you have any idea what could have caused this?" Joy asked the two, one of which shook their head whilst the other nodded.

"I think I may have an idea" Ash said as he took his ex by surprise. "There was this pink light... I swear I'd seen it before but I just remembered when I was singing" Ash said much to Misty's disdain.

"You remembered when you were singing?" Misty asked dubiously as Ash put a hand on his well brushed ginger hair and laughed.

"Yeah something wrong with that?"

"Not really..."

"You're going off topic" Joy cut in as she pushed the subject back on track.

"Anyway... years ago when May started to travel with us we met a very... unique water Pokémon" he informed them, capturing the attention of his audience instantly. "Uh well this Pokémon can become one of two Pokémon depending on where it was... conceived" Ash said in an attempt to sound smart.

"Just get on with the story Ash" Misty said impatiently as she tapped her new 'enlarged' feet on the floor.

"If it 'breeds' in regions around here it will become a Phione due to the water temperature" Ash told them, astounding the so-called water expert who didn't even known Phione was affected by such a condition. "And if it's conceived in cold, freezing water it becomes a Manaphy" Ash said as a weird feeling of pride filled him at being able to explain something so well.

"Brock told you didn't he?" Misty asked with a voice laced with doubt, practically poking his cheek to burst his bubble.

"Shut up Mist" Ash said before getting back to the story.

"Manaphy is a legendary Pokémon who can use a move called Heart-Swap" Ash informed them as all the new information came back to his mind.

"Oh I've heard of that" Joy said as she burst into the explanation. "... However Heart Swap only lasts a few hours at most" Joy informed them which made Ash's mouth drop.

"Wait what?"

"You didn't know?" Misty joyously asked as a happy smile found its way onto her face. Clearly she thrilled that Ash didn't hold the answer because that would wound her pride.

"Then what's wrong with us?" Ash asked in a panic.

"I think I might know because of the information you gave me Ash" Joy said as she got to her feet and walked over to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out what seemed to be a children's story.

"A picture book?" Misty asked as she looked at the cover which read 'the princess and the Manpahy.'

"Are you being serious Joy?" Misty asked as her eyes sharpened.

"Of course" she chimed as she opened the book. "I read this to my daughter when she was a little girl" Joy said as she flipped over to page ten which showed an illustration of a pink glowing thread which connected to the hearts of the princess and the prince.

"That's what happened to us" Ash declared as he pointed to the prince.

"I thought so..." Joy said in an almost doubting tone.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked as Joy closed the book and put it on her desk.

"This is just a story... there's never been any records of this happening before but" Joy said slowly as if trying to find the best way to explain.

"But..." Ash asked with baited breath.

"But if it's true... you two may not have long left" she said making the duo go pale.

"W-we're going to die?" Misty stuttered in fear, turning to Ash who seemed to be stunned silent.

"Oh no not that..." Joy assured them as their fears flew out the window. "When did this happen?" she then asked before explaining.

"Last night" Ash informed her in an attempt to speed up the 'diagnosis'.

"Oh thank goodness then you still have enough time" Joy said in relief as she put a hand over her heart.

"W-what are you talking about Joy?" Misty asked as she along with Ash remained completely in the dark.

"The Manaphy Curse... Curse of the Manaphy... whatever you want to call it" Joy said as she gave them a solemn look. "If you don't find that Manaphy and make it undo what happened within seven days... according to the story you'll be stuck in those bodies forever" Nurse Joy informed them in a quiet voice which almost made Ash faint.

"F-forever" both of them muttered with haunted tones.

"That's not all" Joy revealed as she placed her hand on the book. "As the days go by you'll notice changes to your attitudes..." Joy said quizzically as a small smile made its way onto her face, it wasn't soothing no instead it was sympathetic.

"You'll become more accustomed to your bodies as the days go on... you'll still be yourselves but you'll also start experiencing feelings... possessed by each other" she said sympathetically. "Ash... this is no offense to you though Misty, you will probably have the hardest time" she informed the former male who gulped, meanwhile Pikachu shivered from on lap.

"..." was all Misty could say in response, she knew it was true because to be honest she was a tomboy by nature whilst Ash was very masculine.

"Oh..." Ash sighed in almost hopelessness.

"D-don't worry though the story ended happily... it's possible to undo the effects" Joy said as she looked to the side nervously.

"Are you hiding something from us Joy?" Misty asked which made the older nurse shake her head furiously.

"Mist... let's not get suspicious" Ash said maturely, much to Misty's amazement. "Thank you Joy" Ash said as he got to his feet and walked out of the office with Pikachu at his side.

"You should probably go after him... you know how hormonal you can get" Joy joked which made Misty blush as she got to her feet and ran off leaving the nurse to her thoughts.

"_It was a happy ending... I guess" _was Joy's words as she opened the book and decided to re-read it to be sure.

* * *

As Ash stormed out of the centre he suddenly felt kind of hopeless. He didn't understand why though because he was always so positive but for some reason Joy's words seemed to completely sway his mood. "This sucks Pikachu" Ash moaned as he began to walk away only to be grabbed from behind.

"Ash where are you going?" Misty's now deep voice demanded, clearly annoyed by her ex's actions which forced her to run out of Joy's office after him.

"...Nowhere" Ash said as he manoeuvred out of Misty's grasp and began to walk away. "Let's go Pikachu" was all he said, not even turning around to say goodbye.

"Come back Ash" Misty requested as nicely as she could under the current circumstances but when Ash didn't listen she found herself running up to him and grabbing him from behind to stop all movement.

"Let go of me" Ash 'hissed' which made Misty laugh almost mockingly.

"Aw Ash is going to cry" Misty teased in an attempt to stir up some of Ash's pride, needless to say she succeeded.

"No I'm not!" Ash screamed back at her.

"Then stand still and listen to me for a second you big baby" Misty said as she let go of him, noticing that he didn't walk away.

"You're the big one"

"What was that?" Misty practically dare him making him go silent again.

"Sorry... I'll listen... just hurry up" Ash said in a quiet voice as he turned around and looked at his former body enviously, missing how strong he felt.

"Ash... you remember this happened in Porta Vista right?" she asked gaining a small nod from her former body which actually looked kind of cute to her but she ignored it. "Anyway Dais gave me a key to the summer house... I think we should go to Porta Vista for a week" she told her ex in a soft calm tone, the one she used when they were still together.

"..." Ash sighed before smiling. "That's not a bad idea" Ash complimented before looking away. "As long as you don't try to kill me over the course of the week" Ash bartered which angered the young woman-turned-man.

"... I'll do my best" Misty said with a wink which made the Indigo League victor giggle, yes giggle. _"Why are we so odd around each other?" _Misty thought as she looked away. "We should get going as soon as possible" Misty said as she tried to avoid the awkwardness.

"I think we'll need Brock" Ash said quietly, confusing his ex-girlfriend. "Just in case we get angry at each other... and besides if anyone knows about habitats it will be him... he did tell me all that stuff about Manaphy after all" Ash said which brought a smile of delight to Misty's face.

"I thought so since there's no way you know more about Water Pokémon than me" she said as she turned in the direction of her Gym. "Ash... if we go on 'holiday' I'm packing your bags. I won't let you make a fool of my body when we're there" she told him proudly as she marched off towards her Gym her mind already decided.

"Hey Mist!" Ash shouted from behind making her turn around.

"What is it?"

"When did you become so assertive?" he asked curiously as he made his way over to her.

"It must be the Manaphy's curse" she joked as she began to walk away leaving Ash very curious as to what kind of changes he would undergo if that was true.

* * *

After an hour of packing bags and distracting Misty's sisters Ash and his ex-girlfriend finally got out of the gym and headed to the Magnet Train acting calmer around each other than they had done so for years, mainly due to their forced camaraderie brought on by the current predicament.

"Ash I'll go back to yours I think you should convince Brock" Misty said as they reached the train station.

"Why do I have to deal with Brock?" Ash asked not in an annoyed way, it was just that was curious why.

"Well you know him the most and even in my body I think you stand a bigger chance of convincing him to come along" Misty said with a shrug of the shoulders as she trailed her finger down the train times. "Our trains are on the same line so when you get off at Pewter I'll continue on towards Virdian City" Misty murmured as Ash listened on and nodded after all he didn't use the Magnet Train much.

"Make sure to get some of my Pokémon... but only four" Ash reminded Misty who nodded her head.

"But why four?" Misty asked as she found what she looked for one the list.

"That's a secret "Ash said with a small smile, obviously he had something in mind which he didn't want his ex to know.

"That's fine" Misty said without much interest as she concentrated on the list. "Get the 5:00pm train to Porta Vista in Pewter and I'll get it at 4:15pm in Viridian" Misty informed him as she turned around and looked at him carefully. "Ash... why do you look so annoyed?" she asked but Ash turned away.

"No reason, I'm not even angry" he quickly batted down her accusation as he turned to Pikachu. "Let's get the tickets Pikachu" he told his best friend with a smile before running off, dragging his humiliatingly pink suitcase away with him, much to Misty's bemusement.

'Hey Mist... why do you look so annoyed?' Ash asked in a concerned voice as he looked down at his red-headed girlfriend.

'No reason, I'm not even angry'

As the memory flickered across her vision she gasped. _"The roles are reversed but... I think I understand" _she thought as a smile graced her lips as she followed after her ex-boyfriend.

* * *

The second Ash stepped foot onto Pewter City soil, figuratively of course, he headed straight for Brock's new apartment which he purchased on the back of his impressively paid doctor's job. As he stepped up to the door he reminded himself that he was Misty since he really didn't want Brock knowing that they'd swapped bodies. _"Just imagine the sort of questions he'd ask me" _Ask thought awkwardly as he knocked on the door which swiftly opened as if Brock had been waiting by the door.

"Oh my sweet it must be fate that we met here again now let's" Brock started as he grabbed his head and got onto one knee. "... Wait a minute this isn't the postwoman's hand!" Brock proclaimed in horror as he looked up and turned pale at the sight of his ginger haired friend.

"Brock let go of my hand now!" Ash demanded with a very dangerous growl which made the older man go 'eep' in fright as he retreated to a safe distance.

"M-Misty I-I thought it was someone else" Brock blabbered an explanation arms already bracing his face in preparation for the worse.

"Clearly" Ash said in a very sarcastic manner as he glared at his long-time friend. "Now stop guarding your face. I'm not going to kill you" Ash told the man who nodded with his 'most humble gratitude' as he removed his arms.

"Uh... thanks" he said pitifully, aiming his vision downwards to see Pikachu and Ash's pink suitcase. "Hey Misty what's up with the suitcase and why is Pikachu with you don't tell me you and Ash-"

"Oh this" Ash said as he cringed as the suitcase. "Me and Mi... Ash are kind of going to Dais' summer house for the week and well... wanna come with?" he asked in a relaxed manner which made Brock instantly suspicious.

"_How did Misty say his name without getting angry?" _Brock wondered before smiling as if he had picked up on a secret. "Did something happen between the two of you last night?" Brock asked as if he'd struck the nail on the head.

"Not really..." Ash veiled his answer and looked away. "We umm just ended up making a bet and now we can't back out" Ash said as he remembered what Misty said on the train.

'Don't let him think we're on friendly terms... lie if you have to' Ash remembered and sighed.

"What kind of bet?" Brock asked dubiously before inviting him into the house, something he appreciated greatly since the suitcase was incredibly tiring for him to lug around now.

"Well... there's a Manaphy on the loose in Porta Vista" Ash said the first thing that came to mind as he sat down on Brock's sofa.

"Don't tell me" Brock said as he put a hand over his eyes, expecting Ash to finish his sentence for him but instead Ash stayed quiet waiting for Brock to make a conclusion. "... You are going to try and capture it?" he said bring a smile to Ash's face in the process.

"How did you know?"

"It's you two Mist... you probably argued about it without thinking" he said wisely.

"Ah" Ash merely mumbled, after all that was the core of his relationship with Misty now.

"However... a holiday seems like a good way to get to know each other again" Brock said with a fond smile something that made Ash wonder why everyone acted like that in regards to their relationship.

"... So will you come?" Ash asked gaining a nod of approval.

"Yep just tell me when we're leaving" Brock said as he got to his feet and headed towards his room.

"Uhh" Ash said as he pulled Misty's pink Pokégear out of his small pocket and spied the time. "Can you finish packing by say 4:30pm?" Ash asked absentmindedly earning a chuckle from his older friend.

"Misty who do you think I am?" he said with pride as he reached his room's door. "I'll be ready in less than an hour" he said as he left Ash alone in the living room.

"Thanks man" he whispered as he led back and stroked Pikachu affectionately to pass the time.

* * *

As planned Ash and Misty now with Brock in tow all met up on the 5:00pm train to Porta Vista, Brock sat next to Misty and Ash sat opposite Brock so he didn't have to look at his body too much. _"It's still too weird to look at myself from out of my body... kind of like my experience in Lavender Town" _he thought of the fond memory where he lifted Misty into the sky in his spectral ghost form.

"So Brock did Misty tell you?" Misty lied expertly, somehow able to remember to refer to Ash as herself without much difficulty which was a stark contrast to Ash's take on things.

"Yeah you're competing to catch a Manaphy right?" Brock asked, revealing the story that Ash had told him to convince him.

'Couldn't you think of anything better?' Misty mimed Ash's way when Brock wasn't looking but since Ash was practically ignoring her he never saw it. _"Well it's not that bad of an excuse I guess" _Misty thought as she smiled fakely.

"Yeah I'm so going to catch that Manaphy" Misty put on her best Ash impression and if the man in question was to be honest it was quite good.

"No way, I think you're forgetting who the water Pokémon expert is here" Ash said without looking at Misty, proving that he was just as good as she was at imitating.

"Ok enough you guys I don't want to put up with you two arguing already" Brock sighed as he put his arms in the gap between them as if they were going to lunge for the throat at the nearest opportunity.

"Its fine, I was only joking" Ash said before looking away which made Brock smile.

"Why can't you be mature like that Ash?" Brock whispered into Misty's ear making her glare out the window at Brock's insult even if he didn't know he was doing it.

"_... Well played Ash" _she thought as she smiled subconsciously unable to work out why.

* * *

The walk from the train station took twenty minutes so by the time they reached the summer house it was 6:50pm which allowed the gang to see a simply beautiful sight of the sun's reflection on the deep blue Kanto Sea.

I'm hungry" Misty moaned in pain as she looked to Ash and thought _"how is this body always hungry?" _in desperation as she lugged both her own and Ash's suitcase up the stairs.

"Ladies don't have to carry my ass" Misty muttered devilishly at Ash's ploy which Brock just had to agree with. "Ash be a gentlemen" she repeated in an intentionally high pitch to show her frustration as she opened Ash's door and placed the pink suitcase down gently. _"I'll be the one laughing tomorrow" _she thought as she sniggered at the contents of the case before leaving to go into her own room.

Meanwhile as Misty did this Ash sat downstairs on the sofa and made loud "ah" noises to show how relaxed he was in an attempt to annoy his ex... of course this time it was all in good fun.

"Brock can I go out and look for Manaphy?" Ash asked like a child asking his parent's for candy.

"Seriously Misty I'd expect that from Ash but you? Now that's a surprise" he chuckled as he picked up his own suitcase effortlessly. "I think food comes first, why don't you and Ash go get something to eat at a nearby restaurant or something" Brock suggested in a sly manner as he ascended the stairs.

"Aren't you coming?" Ash asked as stretched out on the sofa, noticing how he now couldn't reach the other end of it with his feet. _"It's more comfy like this to be honest" _he thought as the advantage of not having to lay his feet on the arm rest came to mind.

"Nah not today, you two go and have a Nice. Long. Talk" he said as he accentuated the last words to add extra emphasis.

"Brock..."

"I know, I know but do it please?" he pleaded and for some reason Ash found himself unable to say no.

"Fine" he said in a manner which made it sound like he was unpleased but to be honest he was indifferent to the idea. _"Good acting" _he inwardly praised himself as the sound of extra footsteps came from the stairs.

"_Ash_ let's go get something to eat" Ash said in a sing-song manner from the sofa eliciting a sigh of relief from the woman-turned-man.

"Thank Arceus do you know how hungry I was" she complained as she grabbed Ash's arm and dragged him up off the sofa.

"Of course, now do you know why I always asked for second helpings?" Ash whispered to his ex who merely nodded her understanding

"Bottomless pit of a stomach" she described it which made Ash groan.

"Hey stop that" Ash said with no conviction as he turned to the door. "Hey Brock we're off now" he shouted out getting a loud 'okay have fun you two' back which made him blush a little.

"Ladies first"

"What?" Ash asked earning himself a grin from the woman.

"Isn't that what you described yourself as earlier?" Misty challenged the man inhabiting her former body.

"That was only to-"Ash explained as he opened the door.

"Get moving" Misty gave him not time for explanation as she pushed him through the door, laughing at the look on Ash's face before closing it behind herself.

* * *

Luckily for the duo finding a place to eat didn't take long. In fact it took little to no time at all because they visited the restaurant/bar that was situated close to the sea, which was less than a five minute walk from the summer house.

"How do they have such confidence that the roof will stay up?" Ash asked stupidly as he observed the roof that looked to be made out of wood.

"Ash the weather around here is great all year round" Misty explained in an exasperated manner as she sat down at the table.

"Oh..." Ash said absentmindedly as he looked at his surroundings, musing happily that the place was very informal unlike the ones that he'd seen on all those romance movies Misty made him watch when they were dating.

"This place is nice" Ash said as he spotted a 'waiter' practically hovering around their table waiting to serve them but since he hadn't even looked at the menu yet he shook his head.

"Yeah and it was such a great view of the sea" Misty sighed as she observed the sun which was seemingly taking its time in setting as Ash saw this he smiled and decided to take a look himself before sighing.

"Mist..." he said capturing her attention instantly.

"Yeah?"

"Can we call a truce... if only for a little while... until we find Manaphy" he asked softly, unsure of why he talked in such a quiet manner.

"..." Misty sighed before a large smile reached her now masculine face. "Ok Ash... but remember it's only temporary" she accepted as she grabbed the menu and put it in front of her face.

"Thanks" Ash said with a similar smile as he turned from the sea to Misty curious as to why she was hiding her face.

As the two began to reconnect, a little section of the sea rippled and from the ripple the one they were about to search for appeared with a look of childlike delight on its face. "Mana Manaphy!" it squealed as it stared at its unintentional victims with a look of relief in its eyes before swimming back to shore, with the intention of returning to its home.

Only six days remain... can they who are forsaken undo this wretched curse?

* * *

(End Chapter)

So the Manaphy Curse is revealed... even if that cute little Manaphy didn't mean to do that! Poor little guy it was only trying to help.

Anyway this took me a long time to write but as I promised I updated quickly due to the willingness of my reviewers, I'm merely showing my 'love' for my audience and my love for this beautiful pairing.

As usual I hoped you enjoyed and I hope you can LEAVE A REVIEW so I can become motivated to type at the same pace that I've been doing so far.

Until next time.

-Aquilon


	4. Day Two Part One

Change of Perspective Chapter Four

Wow once again my anons and my faithful reviewers have given me a big smile.

Now it's time to commence the Manaphy Hunt... I'll go get my Harpoon D:

Day Two Part One

"Did I ever tell you I hate mornings?" Ash asked quizzically as he dipped his spoon into the bowl of some quickly prepared cereal, sighing as he shook his head to sway his new ginger hair out of his eyes.

"Ten times this morning Mist will you give it a rest?" Brock's tired tone bellowed as he took a munch of his own breakfast, groaning afterwards due to sleep deprivation.

"What's up with you two?" the woman-turned-man asked as she stretched her arms out and happily took a bite of her bacon which she prepared before her two companions woke up.

"Didn't sleep" Ash moaned as he slouched down and headbutted the table, knocking a few pieces of cereal from its death chamber... the bowl.

"Oh I could tell that" Misty said with a sing song voice, as if she was rubbing it in that she slept soundly like a log.

"Well I would have been able to sleep if it wasn't for Mist's moaning all night" Brock almost growled as he finished his cereal and walked to the kitchen. "Oh I'm so hot, I'm dyinngggg, urghhh" Brock imitated much to Misty's amusement.

"Hey it was hot! You try sleeping in these pyjama's in this heat and we'll see who's moaning" Ash growled as he shot a small angry glare at Misty who seemed to revel in it.

"Then you shouldn't have worn them!" Brock shouted back, his frustration almost boiling over but luckily he managed to soothe it.

"I would have if Mi- Ouch why'd you kick me!" Ash cried in pain at Misty's assault.

"You almost revealed our identities you idiot" Misty whispered harshly as she got started on her egg.

"Ash how many times have I told you to act more of a gentlemen?" Brock scolded as he came back to the table with drinks for his friends, placing them gently on the table much to their delight.

"Thanks Brock" Ash said as he quickly took the water and gulped it down, glad that he didn't have to put up with another 'scolding' from his older brother figure, he guessed it was one of the few advantages of his current body.

"Uh... twice?" Misty guessed before taking a swig of water, thinking how strange it would be for her to 'act like a gentleman'.

"... I wasn't looking for an answer" Brock said with a sigh as he turned to Ash. "What were you saying about the pyjama's again Mist?" Brock asked as he sat down.

"Uh I don't feel right NOT wearing them" he lied as he remembered how Misty demanded that he at least wore some kind of nightwear since she knew of his occasional sleepwalking.

"Ok..." Brock's doubt laced tone droned as he turned to look at the sea view. "So what's the plan for today guys?" Brock asked the duo who shrugged in unison.

"Go after Manaphy?" Ash suggested as he looked towards the sea himself, feeling a weird craving to go swimming all of a sudden.

"Well since Manaphy's often live in the ocean I think going to the beach would be a good place to start" Brock said with an uneven tone indicating that he was masking something, something that Misty picked up on instantly.

"What a great idea Brock!" Ash chimed as he finished his breakfast. "The sea would be a great place to look" Ash too said in an uneven feminine tone, he too was hiding something, yet this time Misty couldn't pick up on it.

"Girls... that's why Brock really wants to go" Misty said with Ash's smooth deep tone making the oldest male flinch. "Heh heh right on the mark" Misty gloated as she turned to Ash. "And _Misty _checking the sea without any sort of plan in place would just be a waste of time" Misty told her ex who almost pouted at the news.

"_How come Ash is sounding like the intelligent one all of a sudden?" _Brock wondered as he looked at his two long-time friends with a shred of doubt in his mind. "I have to agree with Ash... but it's still our best bet" Brock said as if he only had the purest of intentions at heart.

"You two really want to go don't you?" Misty asked them getting an excited, childish nod in return which made her laugh. "Then I guess we have no choice" she said as she glanced at Ash in the corner of her eye. _"This is going to be so much fun" _she thought devilishly as she plucked Ash's bowl up and carried it to the sink with her own dishes.

* * *

"_You've got to be freaking kidding me" _was all Ash could think as he opened his hideously pink suitcase to reveal all the outfits that he swore he wouldn't touch with a ten foot barge pole. _"I thought we had a truce!" _Ash's mind screamed as he glared at the contents knowing all too well that he couldn't wear the yellow hoodie the entire duration of the trip.

"Misty!" Ash growled angrily only to gain a small chuckle from behind which made him leap up in fright.

"You called?" Misty asked already in some simple black and blue swimming shorts and sandals, holding a blue beach towel and some sunscreen. "Oh I see you've opened it" Misty said in amusement and Ash could just tell she was grinning with delight from behind him.

"The truce" Ash quailed as he held up just one of the many articles of clothing, a baby blue skirt that he could tell was above the knee... perhaps mid-thigh if he was lucky.

"Started after I packed the bags _sorry_" Misty's fake innocence shined through.

"You accepted the truce knowing full well this would happen didn't you?" Ash queried in a tone which bordered calmness and hidden aggression.

"Maybe... but it's not like I could change what I did" Misty stated as she shut the door and crept up to him before crouching at his side.

"I guess..." Ash's new voice drawled as he pulled out one of his biggest nightmares, a two-piece yellow Bikini with a light blue trim. Ash's only saving grace was that the bottom was a brief type, though it did possess two unnecessary hoops details which would surely attract attention.

Unfortunately for him though he wasn't so lucky with the top section, which was a triangle type with a hoop at the front and one on each strap.

"You actually own something like this?" was all Ash could say as he inspected the garment with mild curiosity and fear.

"Thank my 'generous' sisters" Misty joked a little too seriously for Ash's liking.

"Oh yeah? I'm so going to thank them later then" Ash said sarcastically before turning ice cold with recognition. "Wait... why would I need to thank them?" Ash asked shakily making the youngest Waterflower grin with almost sadistic joy.

"Well we're going to the beach _Misty _and you have to wear something..." Misty teased joyously especially when Ash shivered at the reveal.

"No way! I'm not wearing this and you can't make me!" Ash declared defiantly only to be grabbed by Misty in response. "W-what are you... no don't!" he screamed as Misty grabbed the top of his pyjama trousers which he had yet to remove.

"Get dressed yourself or I'll have to do it myself" Misty teased clearly enjoying herself. _"Is it because Ash is squirming or is it because Ash is already starting to rub off on me?" _she thought curiously as Ash flailed his legs.

"Do I have any other options?" Ash asked, still unable to free himself from his ex's grasp who was utilising her newfound masculine strength to her advantage.

"None at all" Misty said with a small laugh as Ash started to squirm faster. "It's strangely fun when you struggle... so cute" Misty complimented as the former male turn bright red which somehow forced her to go silent. _"Why did I say that?" _Misty thought in shock which Ash utilised to escape her grasp.

"You're acting weird!" Ash said as he retreated to the other side of the room, not turning around to look at his former body in fear that it would see his girlish blush and abandon him forever.

"... I'm officially blaming the curse" Misty pushed the blame onto the force that had put them in this mess.

"... Yeah so will I" Ash agreed, still not turning around.

"Why do you have to blame the curse?" Misty asked in confusion which made Ash shake his head side to side furiously, much to the amusement of Pikachu who sat on the bed watching the entire scene whilst crying tears of laughter.

"No reason, get out so I can... get dressed" Ash sighed in defeat, bringing a smile to the woman-turned-man's face as she turned around.

"I'll see you downstairs then" she informed him "I'll see you downstairs then" she informed him as she made her way to the door as quickly as possible yet in a calm enough manner that she was able to mask her desperation to escape and just as things seemed to be going smoothly.

"Oh Ash" Brock called out as he left his room and spied where he'd come from, raising a curious eyebrow in the process. "Why are you leaving Misty's room?" he followed up, smiling slyly as the 'man' in front of him didn't reply. "You know what, never mind you don't need to tell me" Brock said in an all knowing way which made the woman-turned-man feel extremely awkward and somehow guilty as well.

"I-It was nothing" Misty cried back lamely as she made a break for the stairs in an attempt to mask her embarrassment brought on by Brock's obvious insinuations.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the room Ash covered his face to hide his still burning blush. "Pikachu don't you dare tell anyone!" he 'warned' his favourite Pokémon as he stripped off the pyjama's and relished the temporary cool feeling he received.

"Pika Pika" Pikachu laughed in reply which only served to make the man-turned-woman even more embarrassed than before.

"I'm being serious Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he picked up the garment again and eyed it suspiciously. "Do you think... I should?" he asked Pikachu he tilted his head to the side before covering his mouth as if to hide a laugh another chuckle...

... But it was futile, "P-pikaka" Pikachu laughed once more, plastering the former male in a deep red crimson from head to toe in the process.

"Hmph" Ash huffed and looked away, gasping shortly afterwards. _"... Blame the curse it's the curse's fault" _Ash's new mantra repeated itself in his mind as he rummaged through the suitcase for something else along with the bikini. _"Beat the heat... it's to avoid the heat" _he thought again as his eyes bulged at the sight of the swimwear.

"I'm still a man if I do this right Pikachu?" Ash whispered to his friend for assurance only to get a shrug from the tiny electric-type. "Great thanks for the help buddy" Ash gave an uncommonly sarcastic reply... well it was uncommon to be sarcastic towards Pokémon for him.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu cried happily taking it as a compliment which made his trainer giggle in response before covering his mouth, luckily this time he wasn't heard by Pikachu.

"Hm..." Ash murmured as he reached back into the case and pulled out something that he had to admit would look perfect... after all he always wished that Misty would wear it just once when they were still dating. "Ok... if Misty wants to play hardball with me I'll just have to step it up a notch" Ash whispered as he pulled out a few more things and got to work.

* * *

When Misty was a woman she never understood why guys, predominately Ash, got frustrated when they waited for her to get ready but now as a male she had finally seen why. "Come on what's taking hi-her so long" Misty groaned as she paced back and forth across the hallway.

"Oh don't get so mad Ash she's just getting ready" Brock said calmly but Misty knew deep underneath that kind exterior he was raging that he wasn't already ogling the 'beach babes'.

"Yeah yeah whatever" Misty dismissed what Brock said with her hand getting a chuckle from the man five years her senior.

"Well if you want we could talk about what was going on it that room..." Brock suggested which made Misty almost flush; luckily the sound of a door opening gave her an excuse not to reply.

"Finally" she huffed as she turned around to look at the stairs only to be rendered speechless. "..." Misty croaked, throat suddenly dry. _"What the... was I really that pretty?" _Misty thought out of curiosity and wonderment as she stared at the ginger haired beauty in front of her who was in fact her ex-boyfriend.

"Woah Mist..." Brock gasped wondering if he should use the old Brock magic to charm her before choosing against it out of fear for his own safety.

"You like?" Ash accentuated the words as he reached the bottom of the stairs and posed for them which made Misty envious of how Ash could pull of the stunning outfit.

As she had 'demanded' Ash wore the bikini she picked out however along with that he wore a beautiful sarong which possessed a multitude of different blues, with it being darker at the bottom whilst fading into a light blue as it ascended. Right at the top was the floral pattern of a daisy along with a white trim.

"_Didn't he buy me that?" _Misty wondered as she spotted his brown sandals which showcased her former body's feet gorgeously. _"How can he look better than I did?" _she almost whispered as she looked up to his well brushed ginger hair which flowed just down to his upper back perfectly.

Finally she noticed that the former male topped off his outfit with simple straw hat, some sunglasses and a few multi-coloured bangles. "...What do you think _Ash_?" the former male taunted when he saw Misty's mouth agape. _"Damn this feels so wrong but at least I got one over on her" _he thought, deciding to the thoughts secret as he looked away.

"Psst Ash Ashhh" Brock whispered into Misty's ear snapping her out of her Ash induced trance.

"W-w-wha" Misty stuttered as she shook her head in amazement and blinked.

"... Smooth Ash... smooth" Brock said under his breath tauntingly as he turned around to look away from the untouchable beauty. "Ahem, well whilst you two enjoy your awkwardness I'm off to the beach... see ya!" Brock revealed as he walked to the door before breaking into a full sprint, leaving the two body-swapped adults alone.

"Hey Mist regret packing that stuff?" Ash asked with a small grin on his now feminine features.

"Uhhh... w-why would I do that?" she asked as her ex-boyfriend stood in front of her looking like a goddess.

"Oh no reason" Ash said quizzically as he looked up to Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder. "Ready to go to the beach buddy?" he asked the mouse who nodded his head in excitement. "Great but first things first" Ash said as he turned to his ex and threw a pink towel at her. "Men carry" he said with a taunting expression which made Misty's eye twitch.

"Fine... you certainly look like a woman" Misty jibed back making Ash's mouth fall agape. _"Now we're even" _Misty thought as she added Ash's towel to the list of things that she had to carry. "Hey _Misty_" the woman called out as she open the door and stood to the side.

"What?" Ash practically growled as he put his hands on his hips.

"_Ladies _first" she taunted once more and this time Ash decided not to back down from the challenge and walk out ahead of her, much to Misty's amusement and strangely enough, enjoyment.

* * *

When the duo finally reached the beach their worst fears were realised. "Hey beautiful do you want to join me for a romantic meal where our hearts can become one" Brock and used one of his horrid 'pick-up' lines on a woman who Ash and Misty would only describe as borderline in terms of attractiveness.

"No? Ok then" was Brock's reply when the woman rejected him before darting off to a group of three women who were seemingly enjoying their time at the beach... until he came along.

"Oh Arceus he is going to be such an embarrassment if someone doesn't keep him in line" Misty growled as she stared at the sight and dropped the parasol, the sunscreen and their towels on the floor.

"Mist what are you-"Ash started only to be stopped instantly.

"Can you set the parasol up, I can't bear to watch this" Misty said as she stormed off towards Brock who was failing quite spectacularly in his attempt to 'woo' the three attractive young women he was talking to.

"Uh sure" was Ash's retort as he unfolded the parasol and put it into the ground. _"I feel sorry for Brock but it's for the best" _Ash thought as he began to whistle whilst placing their towels on the floor under it. _"Wait a minute... I'm Misty right now... oh crap" _Ash thought as he looked up to see his former body stomping towards Brock with malicious intent. _"He'll find us out" _he thought in a panic but it was too late, Misty had already reached him.

"And anyway that's when I" Brock recounted to the unimpressed women, but just before he could deliver the punch-line he received a tap on the shoulder. "Hm?" Brock murmured as he looked over his shoulder to see Ash. "Oh Ash..." he started but that quickly turned into wails as the woman inhabiting Ash's body grabbed him by the ear.

"And that's when you stopped all this nonsense right Brock?" Misty asked as she began to drag him away kicking and screaming. "Don't make such a nuisance of yourself Brock" Misty scolded harshly as Brock just wondered through the pain why Ash was the one delivering punishment.

"Ash what are you doing?" Brock cried out as Misty let go, suddenly realising her mistake.

"Uhh..." Misty tried to explain but Brock was already suspicious, luckily for Misty something unexpected happened which took everyone by surprise.

"Hey there handsome" one of the women from the group of three that Brock was harassing cooed 'seductively' as she approached Misty and looked her up and down, admiring the toned abs that Ash had built up over the years.

"_N-no way" _Brock thought in horror at the scene as he got back to his feet and ran away, crying humorously as he did so whilst at the same time mentally noting that he should keep an eye on how Ash acted from now on.

"W-who me?" Misty asked as she pointed to herself gaining a smile from another one of the trio.

"Thanks for getting rid of that creepy man" she said with a look that Misty knew all too well, it was the one she used to give Ash when she was crushing on him majorly.

"Uh..." Misty mumbled awkwardly as she backpedalled away from them.

"Aw he's shy" the third one said as she helped her friends surround the confused woman-turned-man.

As this was going on Ash merely watched in shock whilst feeling some strange, foreign form of jealousy that he'd never really felt before. Sure he'd been jealous before but what he was now feeling was stronger and completely controlled his thoughts.

As his now thin arms began to shake he glared dangerous, picking up the sunscreen before making his way over to the group of three who were surrounding Misty like predators. "Pika?" Pikachu cried out in confusion as he watched Ash stomp towards the women much like Misty had done towards Brock.

"Ahem" Ash cleared his throat violently to capture all their attentions.

"What do you want?" one of the women asked in an almost aggressive manner to Ash who merely glared back at them with the ferocity of a Gyarados which made her wail 'eep' in shock.

"_Honey_" Ash's words were sweet yet sharp as he stared up at his former body, as an the urge to punch one of the girls around him filled his mind, however despite this he performed admirably and kept his newfound rage at bay. "Lotion _my _back" Ash then said as he pointed the sunscreen towards Misty who was entranced by Ash's acting which reminded her so very much of herself when she got jealous.

"O-of course" Misty stuttered as Ash grabbed latched her arm and lead her away from the women who all felt hard done by, not that he really cared what they thought. As the two walked away Ash sighed in relief and once they were far enough away from the trio he let go. "Thanks Ash" Misty whispered with a small smile which somehow dissipated his raging jealousy in an instant.

"I wasn't saving you!" Ash shouted at Misty who became embarrassed instantly.

'It's embarrassing when you scream like that'

Misty remembered Ash's exact words from when they were dating and flushed in understanding, it truly was embarrassing.

"You have to remember why we're here!" Ash continued with his rant, ignoring the fact that Misty wasn't concentrating.

"Is that so?" Misty asked with almost zero interest, gaining a nod from Ash who stared at the sea with a serious look in his now emerald eyes.

"Yeah it is. So if you'll excuse me... I'll go look for Manaphy now" Ash said awkwardly as he attempted to escape the situation, still feeling ashamed of his jealousy.

Unfortunately for Ash Misty disagreed with his line of thought.

"You aren't going to search just yet" Misty swatted down Ash's declaration instantly, other things needed to be done first after all. This didn't go down well with Ash though who decided that he wasn't going to be stopped and started to escape, sadly though, he was seized by Misty in an instant.

"Let go!"

"Didn't I just say we aren't going to search yet?"

"Why not?" Ash cried back as he attempted to escape Misty's firm grip on his body only to fail once again. "Grr why is this body so weak?" he complained as he made his body go limp, deciding it was almost pointless to put up a fight.

"You're not getting my body sunburned oh and about your question, tough luck is all I can say" she mocked as which prompted Ash to struggle again.

"I don't care" Ash whined, considering using his teeth but decided not to in the end since it was 'girlish' in his opinion.

"Well I care, I'm not putting up with sunburn when I get back to my body Ash" Misty told her ex as a devious smile made its way onto her face. "If you're going to put up a fight" Misty said as she let go of Ash's arm and seized his waist. "I'll just have to do it myself" she joked as she lifted her former body effortlessly into the air and over her shoulder, making the former male turn bright red once more.

"Let me go right now!" Ash cried out as he stared at the sand from six feet up, only making the former female laugh in delight at her ex's hopeless flailing.

"Naa" Misty said as she slowly walked over to where Pikachu was sleeping.

"Let go of me!" Ash cried out again as he thumped his arms against Misty's new, strong back. "Where do you keep that mallet you always had with you?" Ash then asked making Misty laugh.

"If I told you that you might hit me, I'm not that stupid Ash" Misty said as Ash growled and thumped her back again.

"If you don't let go now I'll break the truce!" Ash threatened but Misty shook her head, knowing all too well that Ash wouldn't do so. _"I used to act like this didn't I" _Misty thought to herself as she reached her destination, putting Ash down carefully before pinning his arms _"no wonder why he said I was a pain at times" _Misty then thought as she continued to smile.

"Ash..." Misty said softly in her new deep tone that silenced the annoyed former male. "Stay still for a few minutes and I promise I'll let you go" she said to the current Indigo League Victor who after quite some deliberation nodded his agreement.

"F-fine" Ash said as Misty let go of him and as promised he made no bid to escape.

"Turn over" Misty 'ordered' and Ash, who was willing to keep up his end of the bargain obeyed and rolled onto his front. "Good, now first of all here" Misty said as she put her hands into her pockets and pulled out four Pokéballs. "Buizel, Totodile, Oshawott and Corphish" Misty said as she put them at the side of his head.

"I knew you'd pick only water types" Ash sighed, not in disappointment but the fact that he could read her so well, even now.

"Well if we are searching for a water Pokémon wouldn't using water Pokémon be the best option?" Misty questioned on the fly, in truth she hadn't considered it at all and just wanted to be around as many water-types as she could when she was picking.

"I guess" Ash said as he remained on his front "so... what are you doing to do?" Ash asked as Misty chuckled evilly and poured some suntan lotion on her hands and practically straddled Ash's legs.

"This'll feel good" Misty chimed as she firmly put her hands on Ash's back and began rubbing in the lotion, giving him a slight massage in the process, eliciting a small moan from the former male who was finding it a humiliating experience.

"...Lower" Ash then said all of sudden in a quiet voice which made Misty smile and oblige. _"This curse isn't too bad..." _Misty thought as she slowly began to understand many things that baffled her before such as Ash's incessant need to always touch her... she now knew why.

"Mhmm" Ash sighed with delight as Misty carefully kneaded his back. This lasted for around five minutes mainly because Misty took as long as she could; seemingly enjoying how much Ash enjoyed her touch.

"All done, now quickly do your front and let's go searching for Manaphy" Misty 'ordered' as she stopped abruptly much to Ash's disappointment though he wouldn't admit that.

"Fine" Ash said as he removed his sarong and put it down delicately before slowly doing his front much to Misty's bemusement.

"Hurry up we haven't got time to waste" Misty jibed, she wasn't impatient, no she just enjoyed the look of frustration on Ash's face when she told him to hurry up.

"Say's the one who waste's time with women at the beach" Ash muttered making Misty mime 'yuck' as he finished covering himself completely.

"Aw you were jealous" Misty teased as she looked down on him and smiled only for him to close his eyes and huff angrily.

"Was not" Ash said childishly as he grabbed his Pokéballs and threw them into the air. "Come on out guys!" he shouted, releasing all his Pokémon. "Pikachu explain the situation to them please" Ash asked his friend who got up and walked over to them and started telling them about the body switch.

"Oshaa Oshawott?" the little otter Pokémon said in confusion as he looked at Ash.

"It's really me buddy" Ash told the little Pokémon which just stared at him dubiously before smiling widely as diving into his leg affectionately, this was imitated by Totodile who incorporated a little dance into it at the same time.

"Oshaa!" Oshawott cried out jealously towards the little blue crocodile which just cried out joyously and danced much to his frustration. "Oshaaa" he shouted, ready to hit Totodile but before he made contact he was plucked up into the air by Misty.

"Aw aren't you the cutest little thing" she cooed which made Oshawott beam with pride, completely forgetting why he was angry.

"Uh... guys can we just get searching now?" Ash asked as he watched his Pokémon and Misty partake in their own little squabbles and musings.

"Osha!"

"Toto-diile!"

"Corphishphish"

"Bui-zel!"

They all agreed in their own way much to Ash's relief. "Ok then let's go find Manaphy and return me back to normal!" he cried out and lead his Pokémon towards the Kanto sea alongside his ex who was as caught up in the excitement as his Pokémon.

As all of them dived into the water Brock, who was listening in on the entire fiasco gasped and whispered "just like I thought" to himself. As he did this he spied a very familiar pink haired woman on the other side of the beach. "Jackpot" he said out loud as he broke out into a sprint towards the woman hoping that he'd be lucky this time.

As the curse starts to take root the time of arrival ticks closer... less than six days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok this chapter was shorter than the others that is because the bulk of Day Two will be in the next chapter. This one may be filler-ish BUT it was to highlight how the curse is affecting them already and how it's going to get much worse.

Damn Ash and Misty if only you could be this cute all the time, granted without Misty's understanding brought on by the curse this wouldn't have even come to pass, damn you cute sweet little Manaphy.

Once again I would like to express my gratitude towards my reviewers who are so willing to take their time to tell me what they think, especially since I spend hours each day writing this.

I hope you enjoyed and that you can LEAVE A REVIEW so I can find some extra motivation.

Until next time I wish you happy Manaphy hunting.

-Aquilon


	5. Day Two Part Two

Change of Perspective Chapter Five

Wowzers... my reviews keep on getting higher and higher (well they can't get lower I guess =_=) but oh well... I must thank my Anons and my awesome reviewers. Special thanks go to Meadow Wood, Pkmn2112, Jane Hawthorne and the Anon Jigglypuff for their longer, more detailed reviews which always bring a smile to my face.

Anyway enough of my incessant praise, it be reading time for y'all intentionally bad grammar ^_^

Day Two Part Two

After what seemed to be hours of searching, which was in fact only thirty minutes or so, Ash gave up his search from a mixture of tiredness and boredom. "How can Mist not be tired?" he sighed as he stared at the sea only to spot his body coming up for air before diving back under again.

"_Oh yeah... my body has more endurance" _Ash thought enviously. _"Though I guess it must be hard for her too... this body has have insane lung capacity" _he thought as he remembered how simple it was to remain under water for sustained periods of time.

"Oh well" Ash said out loud as his hands made their way to his new hips. "I guess I'll just wait until she comes back..." Ash whispered as he turned around and made his way over to the parasol he set up where Pikachu sat diligent, guarding 'his' sarong.

"Hey buddy having fun?" Ash asked the little electric type who was happily wearing the sunglasses Ash had brought to the beach with him.

"Chaa!" Pikachu's happy squeal made things all too clear to the man-turned-woman.

"That's great" Ash chimed as he walked up to his pink towel and led down next to Pikachu, taking his time to enjoy the sun whilst he could before he was caught slacking off. "Hey Pikachu was I always so 'forceful' with Mist when we were going out?" Ash asked so he could break the silence and also confirm something that was on his mind.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu replied, nodding his head the best he could from his position.

"Oh..." Ash whispered and closed his eyes. _"I guess I can see why she got annoyed at times... I did go too far on some occasions" _Ash thought as he remembered the suntan lotion event and a similar one where the roles were reversed.

"It's so strange when Misty is in control" Ash shared his thoughts with Pikachu who suppressed a laugh at his trainer's troubles. "It's not that I'm totally against it... and that's what's so scary about it all" Ash said as Pikachu burst into laughter which made his trainer flush in embarrassment. "Hmph whatever Pikachu I'd like to see how you'd deal with becoming a girl Pikachu" Ash joked, making the little electric type cry out in fear.

"Piika Piika" the electric typed cried, somehow thinking that Ash would do the same to him.

"Calm down Pikachu I wouldn't do that to you buddy" he assured his friend who out of what seemed to be gratitude, dived onto his exposed stomach and curled up, saying one last 'pika' before closing its eyes and falling asleep.

"Yeah... sleep well buddy" Ash said as he closed his eyes as well and just let go of his worries, if only for a little bit before falling asleep under the sun.

* * *

In stark contrast to Ash's lazy attitude Misty worked diligently towards their goal of finding Manpahy. Unfortunately though effort doesn't mean you'll succeed and this was the case for Misty. "How long have we been at it?" Misty gasped as she came back up for air, unaccustomed to having such 'small' lung capacity.

"Oshaa!" Oshawott cried as he came up to meet Misty, a Magikarp dangling in his hands.

"Oshawott do you even know what we're searching for?" Misty asked as she suppressed a laugh at Oshawott's confusion, though it was obvious why he'd be confused, he was from Unova after all and had probably never seen such a Pokémon.

"Oshaa!" he said with sparkly eyes as he handed Misty the Magikarp which made her sweatdrop.

"_Does he ever listen?" _Misty thought as a smile reached her face. "How about you keep it?" Misty offered kindly before patting Oshawott's head, satisfying the otter like Pokémon.

"Osha Oshawott!" he cried out in gratitude before retreating under the water with Magikarp in hand.

"That's one cute Oshawott..." Misty sighed as she thought of all the water Pokémon Ash had caught across his adventures. _"He sure knows how to catch them" _she thought as she turned to shore and whilst it wasn't completely clear she could swear that Ash was lounging off.

"Here I am working my ass off and _he's _tanning!" Misty growled as she dived under the water to round up Ash's Pokémon who were all frolicking around, Totodile danced, Corphish picked a fight with a wild Goldeen and Buizel was aquajetting his was around in what seemed to be strictly for training purposes and Oshawott... was flailing the poor Magikarp around.

"_If he's not going to work neither am I!" _Misty thought in frustration as she chased down Ash's Pokémon and captured them all in her arms, signalling that they were to return to shore much to their disappointment, something that kind of upset the water Pokémon specialist.

Once back on shore Misty led the very despondent Pokémon over to their trainer whom slept lazily under the parasol with Pikachu."..." Misty tried to speak but she couldn't, she didn't know why but she felt very... 'aroused' as she looked down at her own body which glistened from a mixture of sweat and suntan lotion.

"A-Ash" Misty stuttered as she leaned down and instead of hitting him violently like she originally planned to, tapped him on the shoulder gently which softly awakened him.

"Uh" Ash's new soft tone moaned as he opened his eyes, guarding them instantly to stop the 'deadly' rays of sun from blinding him. "...Oh crap I fell asleep" Ash cried, his original intention had only been to rest his eyes. "I better get up before Misty finds me... Pikachu would you move please?" he asked getting a sleepy 'pika' as a reply.

"Ahem" Misty cleared her throat to let him know of her presence.

"Uh oh... busted" Ash sighed as he turned to the side to see a simply 'fascinating' sight. "And here I thought I'd never see it again... and you show me it pitching a tent how charming" Ash said with sarcasm and slight embarrassment to the woman who looked down to see that Ash was indeed telling the truth, turning a bright crimson in the process.

"It's not what you think" Misty cried out as she got low to the ground as used her old body as a 'shield' so no-one could see what she was packing down there.

"Misty don't tell me _this _body got you turned on" Ash asked with a devilish look in his eyes as he grabbed the strap of his bikini top, understanding full well that he now held the power for the first time since their switch.

"I-It's the curse's fault" Misty stuttered as she looked down again, realising that it wasn't going away no matter how much she willed it too which made Ash burst out into laughter, embarrassing the woman-turned-man even further.

"Ah now this is entertaining" Ash said as he got to his knees. "Sorry BUT there's no appropriate way of getting rid of that here" Ash said as he pointed down, feeling somewhat embarrassed but at the same time strangely empowered.

"_I can see why Misty enjoyed saying stuff like this to me... it's kind of fun once you get past the revulsion" _Ash thought as he watched Misty literally squirm and he had to admit it was kind of cute... which got him kind of frightened that he might have some kind of 'reaction'.

"What should I do then?" Misty whispered with almost embarrassed tears in her eyes.

"Uh... wait it out, that's if you can around this body" Ash said in direct reference to his current body. _"It's just a natural reaction my body gets towards yours Mist..." _Ash thought but of course he wasn't going to reveal that.

"How long will that take?" Misty cried gaining a shrug from the man-turned-woman.

"As long as it takes for you to stop having dirty thoughts" Ash teased as he led back down, which made Misty lower herself down further with the intent to use her old body as a shield still in her mind. "_Ash _you're making me uncomfortable getting so close like that" Ash teased which made Misty's crimson face turn a whole new shade of red.

"Stop that now!" Misty demanded as Ash just giggled at her before putting his hand on shoulder which stunned her into silence.

"Don't worry I'm only joking" Ash whispered and looked away. "Just relax or you'll draw attention to yourself" Ash said in a soothing feminine tone which took the woman-turned-man completely by surprise.

"...Okay" Misty reluctantly agreed with her deep tone and led down right next to Ash, granted she did move onto her side so she could block _it _from view, there was an added bonus that she could look at Ash from that position. "Thanks" she said bringing a small smile to Ash's face in the process.

"No worries I know how you feel, I guess it's because my body is naturally attracted to yours" Ash said confidently without any embarrassment, increasing Misty's heart rate tenfold in the process.

"Does that mean you're feeling something for this body right now?" Misty whispered.

"Huh?" Ash faked obliviousness for Misty's own benefit and quite frankly his own as well.

"O-oh it's nothing" Misty stuttered and mentally face palmed, though she was slightly curious whether Ash was experiencing anything... similar to her, but from how he was acting she guessed he wasn't.

"So... no sight of Manaphy I guess?" Ash asked with a swift change of conversation to remove the awkwardness.

"If I had don't you think I'd still be out there right now" Misty sighed at Ash's question, yet at the same time she was secretly grateful that he'd changed the flow of their discussion. "Oshawott caught something though!" Misty then beamed as she turned to Oshawott who smiled before running up to Ash to show off his catch.

"Oh really what was-"

*Slap* Oshawott lost his grip on Magikarp from all its flailing, accidently slapping Ash in the face in the process.

"Ouch Oshawott why'd you do that!" Ash cried out as he covered his cheek which was now bright red.

"Osha Osha" Oshawott cried out his apologies and threw the Magikarp away hastily, leaving it to just splash around on the sand begging for air.

"Karp Karp"

"Oshawott put it back in the water it's ok I'm not angry" Ash ordered his Pokémon who shook his head in agreement and ran off to do his bidding, making Misty laugh in the process. "Gee I'm glad you find this all funny" Ash drawled sarcastically as he clutched his face, spying Brock coming over in the corner of his eye.

"Mist heads up its Brock" he warned and then led back down, awaiting his long time friend to come over.

"Hey you guys look who I found" Brock shouted as he approached them, walking side by side with a pink haired beauty wearing a two piece blue bikini that was a little more 'risqué' than what Ash was wearing.

"Soli..." Ash called out before stopping himself, remembering that Misty had never seen the woman before, unfortunately Brock noticed this and took it to mind, pretty much confirming his suspicions after hearing what they were talking about earlier.

"Hey Brock, who's that?" Misty asked which made Ash face palm and Pikachu to blanch.

"Bad move _Mist_" Ash whispered making her very worried that she just said something very wrong.

"Don't you remember me Ash?" the woman asked as she approached Misty and got closer. "Remember now?" She asked when she was only a foot away from the woman-turned-man.

"O-of course" Misty stuttered and turned to Ash.

'So-li-dad' Ash mimed before turning to Brock and giving him a fake confused look. "Who's this Brock I didn't know you knew such a pretty girl" laying on the charm on purpose to try and take the attention away from Misty.

"Yeah sure" Brock's sarcastic disbelieving tone caught Ash by surprise, luckily only he knew that Brock was suspicious, mainly because he'd known him for so long.

"Aw don't be like that Brock" Solidad said cutely making the older male blush and his two friends exhibit looks of pure shock on their faces. "I'm Solidad and you must be Misty, Brock has spoken a lot about you" she said, extending a hand towards Ash who took it instantly.

"He speaks a lot about me?" Ash asked, for once remembering that he was currently Misty.

"Uh-huh he told me how you and Ash seem to... argue a lot" she said as she looked to Misty and then back at Ash before raising a brow. "Maybe Brock was a little hasty with his choice of words" she hummed, taking everybody by surprise.

"Oh no Brock's right, we really don't get along" Ash joked as he looked to Misty who just gave him a look of 'are you being serious' which quite frankly confused him.

"We _used _to not get along... we've called a truce" Misty said with a smile to Solidad who nodded in understanding.

"Really?" Solidad asked as she looked at them again "it doesn't look like a truce to me" she said as she turned to Brock who was shaking his head, clearly he knew something.

"_Yeah I feel the same" _Ash thought but didn't vocalise it in fear that Misty thought otherwise, there was still a possibility after all. "So Solidad, how long are you going to be in Porta Vista?" Ash asked as he tried to steer the conversation away from his relationship with Misty.

"Oh I'm vacationing here whilst waiting for the Grand Festival to come around so a week or so I'd say" Solidad told them with a bright smile. "You're here for a week if I remember correctly" she said, turning to Brock who nodded.

"Yeah that's right" Brock said as he walked up from behind Solidad looked at both Ash and Misty suspiciously. "And since we are all going to be here, why don't you join us for dinner tonight Solidad" Brock offered graciously, hope seeping out of every pore of his body.

"Hm" Solidad murmured, putting a finger to her lips. "That sounds fine with me" Solidad then said cheerfully much to the surprise of everyone present especially Misty.

"Psst what's going on did I just hear her correctly?" Misty whispered to Ash who also wore a look of perpetual shock.

"I-I think so... this is all strange and confusing" Ash said with equal bewilderment, much to the amusement of Solidad who easily overheard their poor whispering.

"Well Brock and I _are_ childhood friends" Solidad told Ash because she thought he was Misty. "We grew up together in Pewter City and I dropped by a lot when he owned the gym" she chimed which made Misty, in Ash's body smile slyly with recognition.

"Oh... then we best not be keeping you" Misty's said with recognition, gaining a wink from Solidad in the process.

"I'm glad you understand" she said before turning around and latching onto Brock's arm, making him flush a deep crimson. "Let's go enjoy ourselves a little more Brock, these two look _busy_" she suggested gaining a passive nod from Brock who allowed himself to be dragged away.

"We'll meet you back at the house later Brock around five" Misty shouted back gaining a wave from the man who felt as if he was floating on a cloud.

"Uh what was that about?" Ash asked when they disappeared, gaining a tired sigh from Misty.

"Men" Misty muttered as she forcefully pulled Ash to his feet without warning.

"Hey!" Ash whined but didn't really fight back like before.

"Let's go ask around for information about Manaphy" she took control once more, annoying Ash who huffed and pulled his arm from Misty's grasp.

"Let me just put this sarong on" Ash said gaining a mild chuckle from Misty.

"Why are you laughing?"Ash cried out in embarrassment as he picked up the garment.

"You're such a _girl _Ash" she mocked making the man-turned-woman flush a bright crimson.

"Well I'm blaming the curse for that" Ash huffed childishly before calling his Pokémon, including Oshawott who'd just returned, back to their Pokéballs.

"Nah you're just girly" she teased as Ash finished putting the garment on.

"Will you cut that out please?" Ash asked as he placed his hands on his hips, gaining more stifled laughter from Misty."Misty" he growled warningly when she didn't stop.

"Sorry, honestly" she apologised as she looked down on Ash. "Let's go going" she offered, jokingly offering her hand to Ash which he took much to her surprise. "A-Ash" she stuttered in her strong tone but he just ignored her.

"I thought we were going?" he said as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and cried out in joy.

"Uh yeah" she said as she regained her composure, before leading her ex by the hand towards a nearby group of people, smiling wider than she had in his presence for years.

* * *

After hours of talking to the locals Ash and Misty found out some interesting information which left them feeling more upbeat as they walked back to the summer house, intending to rendezvous with Brock as planned.

"So Manaphy is said to make more sightings in the town than the sea" Ash sighed as he trudged up the mildly steep hill to the house, hand no longer in Misty's much to her disappointment.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean today was worthless you know" Misty said with a soothing tone as she watched Ash carefully from the corner of her eyes. _"Is this how Ash was like around me? I never noticed" _Misty thought in a somewhat ashamed manner, if what she was experiencing was truly some of Ash's feelings she wondered just how much he _still _cared.

"Maybe... I feel like it was though" Ash said honestly "I mean there's no guarantee we'll ever find it" Ash said in an uncommonly pessimistic manner.

"Hey it'll be alright, we'll find it" Misty said in an attempt to be reassuring, but instead she just injured some of his pride.

"Hey Mist... how do you act so natural?" Ash asked as he passed Misty, not wanting her to see his face in case she saw his blushing face. _"Her confidence is soothing" _he thought as he covered his face with one hand.

"You mean as you?" Misty asked, instinctively understanding what her ex-boyfriend was talking about as if it was second nature.

"Yeah..."

"It's the curse I'm sure of it" Misty said in an attempt to convince herself more than Ash.

"So why am I unnatural?" Ash asked nervously.

"You're acting more natural than you think, just because I didn't show it too often like you didn't mean I never felt the way you do right now" Misty said as she caught up to him effortlessly with her longer legs.

"Really?" Ash asked almost fearfully as he turned to Misty who flashed him another bright smile.

"Yeah you really are Ash, no need to act so afraid about it though" Misty teased as she seized his hand again, the overwhelming urge to touch him taking over once more. "Now let's hurry up before Brock starts getting weird ideas" Misty joked as she used her strength to pull him closer to her.

"You are acting pretty weird though" Ash said bringing a small smile to her face.

"Don't complain" Misty 'ordered' as she winked at him "I know you love it."

* * *

From the moment they reach the house they were sent to their rooms to get changed by a very enthusiastic Brock who was already in a black and orange Hawaiian shirt and some three-quarter length shorts reminding them to 'dress informally but nicely', clearly Brock wanted to impress...

"Ash, wear that yellow dress I packed" Misty practically demanded before going into her own room to get changed, making the former male sigh but not particularly whine as much as he would have done in the past.

"Well It's not like I can sink any lower" Ash said self-depreciatively as he approached his case and pulled out the dreaded spaghetti strapped yellow dress which had a hem which stopped a couple of inches above the knee.

"Oh Arceus why" Ash cried as he observed the rather gorgeous dress by putting it up against his new body. "Mist better not mock me or anything" he whispered as he placed the dress on the bed and pulled out a pair of shoes with a low heel, mentally steeling himself before putting them on the bed alongside the dress.

"Well I've come this far I might as well go through with it" Ash whispered in an attempt to boost his confidence as he began to remove his sarong. "Misty better damn like this" he then said showing his true motives for going through with it.

"Well here goes nothing"

* * *

Unlike before when Misty waited downstairs with Brock, this time she stood upright and tall next to Ash's door as if she was guarding it from intruders. _"Why did I tell him to do that?" _she thought as a strange feeling of anticipation filled her new body.

"Oh well it's not like it matters" Misty said as she shrugged her shoulders and returned to her guard duty, which swiftly ended only seconds later. "Oh Ash you're... woah" Misty said in the most inelegant way possible as she observed her former body in all its grandeur.

"Ah so you _do_ like it" Ash said a little shakily, confusing the woman-turned-man until she looked down to see that Ash was wearing some shoes with a heel, not very high heels but still enough to make a difference.

"Ash..." Misty said before shaking her head. "Can you really walk with those?" she asked with concern as she spotted her luvdisc necklace and some more bangles much like Ash wore earlier in the day.

"Uh honestly... I'm not really sure" Ash said honestly as he wobbled, almost falling over until Misty grabbed him at the waist.

"Change them" she said instantly but much to her surprise he refused.

"Nah they make me... no you look pretty" he said, blushing slightly whilst at the same time giving Misty a blush too.

"But you won't be able to walk" Misty argued but Ash shook his head defiantly.

"Believe it or not I've done this before... when I was adventuring I was forced to crossdress a few times if you remember" Ash recalled some of the times he had to dress as the finer sex for one reason or the other.

"Ok if you say so" Misty said reluctantly "but just give me one second" she said as she let go of him and walked into the room, grabbing something and then exiting. "Here" Misty said handing him the hat from earlier.

"Thanks" Ash said, taking it from her hands and putting it on instantly. "This may sound odd but I feel kind of naked without a hat" Ash said honestly, making the now male Misty chuckle deeply.

"Yep really strange" she said as she made her way to the stairs. "Don't forget your purse" she then joked making the former male turn crimson.

"..." Ash tried to say some sort of angry response but he couldn't, which prompted Pikachu to laugh at his trainers various 'mood swings'. "Pikachu... just stop" he said as he stood up as tall as he possibly could and walked forward with delicate steps in the hope that he wouldn't trip over and embarrass himself.

* * *

After a quick session of mutual complementing Brock led the group towards the same 'restaurant' that they had visited the night before, however this was quite a problem for the male-turned-female. "Mist... I can't go downhill" he whispered, perplexing the gym leader for a moment before she came to a realization.

"Ah the heels" she said and grinned. "Told you not to wear them" she gloated and offered her hand "I'll help you out but you'll owe me one" Misty said 'generously' knowing full well that Ash couldn't really refuse her.

"Fine but don't make it too much of a big deal" Ash said as he took Misty's hand for the third time, though this was the first time he did so willingly. _"It's strange having the smaller hands... it feels kind of... secure?" _Ash thought awkwardly as he began to walk practically in sync with Misty.

"I won't..." Misty said as she stared out at the beautiful sea view. "Hey Ash... how do you make me look so good?" she asked enviously eliciting a giggle from Ash.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Misty" Ash said as he stopped and leaned over. "You were always that way, only you never saw it" he whispered sweetly before pulling back, grinning when he noticed a shocked look on Misty's face. "Now come on _Ash _Solidad is waiting for us" Ash teased as the woman-turned-man in front of him shook her head before leading the way once more, feeling much happier about herself in the process.

* * *

Ash and Misty knew Brock was going to be an absolute mess the moment he saw Solidad and right they were. From the moment Brock saw her in her beautiful blue dress his mind must of exploded or something because he found himself unable to speak or even function to be quite honest, because of this it was Misty who helped lead Brock into the restaurant, meanwhile Ash and Solidad mutually complemented each other's outfits.

"So Misty are you and Ash together because you pretty much seem that way" Solidad asked as she and Ash walked towards the table that Misty had been guided to.

"Uh... it's a little difficult" Ash said honestly as he stared at Misty from afar. _"Yes very, very difficult" _he thought as Solidad giggled at his comment.

"Well I can see something there between you two, you go girl" she said as Ash mentally cringed, it was one thing to be called a girl by Misty, but by someone else... it was unbearable.

"Uh thanks" Ash said as they reached the table and sat down next to Misty, meanwhile Solidad sat down next to Brock.

"Hey Mist has Brock's brain started back up yet?" Ash whispered making the former woman laugh and nod.

"Yeah though I don't know how he's going to last... she's beautiful" Misty whispered getting a strange look from Ash in the process.

"Oh really?" Ash asked in an almost jealous tone that Misty didn't fail to miss.

"You are too of course" Misty said with a wink which made Ash smile subconsciously.

"Don't think it makes me happy to hear you say that" Ash said as he shifted his attention deeply to the menu in a veiled attempt to block conversation with Misty, afraid that if she continued with the compliments he may actually start thinking like a girl.

* * *

As the night went on the conversation fragmented between Brock's mindless rambling which actually seemed to impress Solidad for some reason to Ash and Misty's subtle compliments to each other which made the pink haired woman say 'aw' on numerous occasions.

"So Misty, I told you why I was on vacation but why are you on vacation with Ash hm?" Solidad asked in a suggestive manner.

"Well honestly we ended up getting into an argument here only a few days ago" Ash revealed, intriguing the pink haired woman and Brock, the latter of which seemed to watch Ash closely as if trying to dissect the fact from fiction.

"Then we found out that there was a Manaphy on the loose and well one thing led to the other and we kind of made a bet about catching it" Ash lied rather impressively, but it wasn't enough to fool Brock who had come up with a pretty solid idea in his mind as to why they'd be searching for the elusive prince of the sea.

"Oh isn't Manaphy that cute little water-type legendary Pokémon?" Solidad asked with interest gaining a nod from Ash. "So I wasn't seeing things earlier" Solidad said to herself, seizing Ash and Misty's complete attention.

"Wait what do you mean?" Ash and Misty asked in unison in such a quick manner that it was obvious that they had some deep meaning beyond a bet as to why they were searching for it.

"Woah calm it you two" Brock said in a hasty manner, mainly because they'd slammed their hands on the table, almost sending their empty plates flying in the process.

"Sorry" they said in unison before turning to Solidad. "So what did you see?" Ash asked in an excited manner as Solidad leant back and took a thinking pose.

"Well I've only seen pictures of Manaphy but I saw something very similar swimming in the sea this morning when I was training Arcanine" Solidad informed the two, giving them broad grins in an instant.

"That's it!" Ash said as he got carried away "thank you so much Solidad!" Ash practically cried, Misty did the same but in a little more of a disguised manner.

"Uh no problem Misty" Solidad said modestly and in doing so gained Ash's absolute gratitude and something that would last for a long time to come, a deep friendship.

* * *

After a couple more hours of talking at the restaurant the group decided to head back, but not before taking Solidad back to her hotel where the woman in question took everyone by surprise by giving Brock a small kiss before leaving.

"I-I'm never washing this cheek again in my entire life" Brock cried as he walked back with Ash and Misty with an absolutely euphoric look on his face.

"Ok Brock I get it, now will you stop crying?" Ash asked politely as Brock's nose sniffed.

"I'm not promising anything" he said as they began to walk up the steep hill, Misty seizing Ash's hand once more to assist him this time and not for the strange pleasure she felt when she did so.

The rest of the trip was made in silence but little did they know that would all change when they entered the house because once they did Brock turned around, tears replaced with a serious stare. "You two... I think I know why you are after Manaphy" Brock said deeply, making both of them flinch, after all Brock was a very perceptive man believe it not.

"Uh I really doubt that Broc-"

"A Manaphy curse" he said instantly taking them both by surprise and in seeing this Brock smiled, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head.

"How do you know of that?" Ash said in a moment of absentmindedness which made Misty face palm.

"I used to read my youngest sister Suzie the Princess and the Manaphy when she was only a little girl" Brock revealed as he walked over to the sofa and sat down. "I know there is no proof to it but the fact that you are heart swapped still means this isn't a recent occurance" Brock said conclusively as Ash and Misty looked at each other with guilty looks.

"How long have you known?" Misty asked curiously.

"Only since this morning, I overheard you talking, seriously you guys if you are going to keep something secret at least talk quietly about it" Brock 'scolded' his friends. "Though you probably should of told me from the start, now you have less days to find it... on that note how long do you have left?" Brock asked the duo.

"About five days" Ash said gaining an instant sigh from the former breeder now doctor.

"Ah, so that's why you're acting all girlish" Brock lightly mocked gaining a rare frown from his friend in the process. "Five days is a short time when looking for a legendary Pokémon, I think we should be a little more serious from now on" Brock returned to the serious tone he was using before for emphasis more than anything else.

"How so?" Misty asked the man who shrugged.

"That I don't know" he said honestly with a smile. "Though I think we should follow Solidad's lead and check the sea early tomorrow morning" Brock concluded.

"Yeah that would be best" Misty agreed with Brock's decision, Ash on the other hand had other things on his mind.

"Are you angry at us for keeping it a secret?" Ash asked his long-time best friend who raised a brow of confusion.

"Angry, why would I be angry?" he questioned.

"Well we were keeping it a secret from you" Ash said sounding very, very guilty.

"Ash... all that emotional stuff should be Misty's job, not yours" Brock joked as Misty burst out laughing, only embarrassing the thoroughly humiliated Ash even more.

"Whatever Brock!" Ash said in a strop and made his way to the stairs. "I'm off to sleep, good night!" he practically screamed which almost made Misty feel ashamed.

"I acted like that a lot didn't I?" Misty asked when Ash was out of earshot.

"Yup" Brock said as he extended the word for emphasis.

"Thought so" Misty said as she sat down on the single leather seat and looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder how long I'll have to put up with all these new feelings" Misty sighed.

"Well hopefully not for much longer" Brock said as he gave the now male Misty a thorough glance. "Hey Mist how are you taking being a guy anyway?" Brock asked curiously.

"... It's embarrassing to say but I don't really mind" Misty said shamefully "though I think it's just because of how Ash acts now" she followed up, laughing happily at the image of Ash being a little less dominant than he was before.

"Well good luck to you with that" Brock said as he completely comprehended what Misty really meant. "I think I'll go to sleep as well, good night Misty" Brock said as he approached the stairs, gaining a small good night from the former female before leaving her alone in the living room.

"_I wonder, when we return to our bodies, will we return to how we were before?" _Misty thought worriedly at the prospect before getting to her feet and heading to her bedroom much like her friends had.

* * *

"So the rumours are true, there really is a Manaphy in this town?" a woman dressed in a dark purple and red outfit asked the four men standing in front of her.

"Yes sir, we have various reports from townspeople of a small water Pokémon resembling Manaphy moving from place to place" one of the henchmen said as he handed the woman an envelope which she seized instantly before shoving it in one of her pockets.

"Good work, as you know our client has been looking for one of these for a very long time" the woman who wore a black visor and possessed silver short hair complimented her goons on a job well done.

"Sir can we be relieved then?" one of them asked gaining a glare in the process.

"Relieved? No, this will fetch us a high price so I expect around the clock searching and as you know, I won't accept failure" she said with a low, intimidating voice which made the man in front of her who stood at least five inches taller than her cower.

"Y-yes Hunter J" the man said gaining another glare. "I-I mean sir" he said before running off to get on with his job.

As the hunter joins the fray can Ash and Misty really relieve themselves of this curse... only five days remain.

* * *

(End of Chapter)

Damn that was a long chapter and I know I released it a few hours later than I normally do but I have an excuse, though I don't really need one since I am the one working their ass off. I watched the Tennis today and since I am a proud brit I was glad to see two fellow brits get through to the final of Wimbledon, ah good times.

Anyway yeah... HUNTER J ARGHH, she's still alive? Yep! And she wants Manaphy so you know some serious action is going to go down eventually, because let's face it, J is the most evil person in the entire anime and... I love her character.

Anyway that's enough from me today, I am not sure if I'll update tomorrow because let's face it, I do deserve the weekend off after 5 days of continuous updates right?

I hope you enjoyed and I hope you can LEAVE A REVIEW so I can become motivated to write, because let's face it, reviews are the fuel of us fanfiction writers.

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	6. Day Three Part One

Change of Perspective Chapter Six

Ok once again crazy amount of reviews which makes me so happy though I must say one thing. You can't demand a shout out, they're earned, if someone's review is just a request for a shoutout without even mentioning the story then I guess I'm too lazy to give you a shoutout, oh and I don't have to do anything, I'm using my spare time to write so I call the shots 'kay?

Anyways, special thanks to Sakurablossom729 who has been reviewing from the moment I started this fiction.

Hm now that my bit is done I must say... on with the story!

Day Three Part One

"Hey Brock, why don't we just leave him to sleep?" Misty asked softly as she peeked into Ash's room to spot the former male curled up next to Pikachu, a look of absolute contentment on his now feminine face.

"Uh Mist do you think that would be a good idea?" Brock asked as he made his way over to the room, intending to look in himself but Misty blocked his vision.

"No looking" Misty said as she closed the door, whipping around to spot a sly look on her long-time friends face. "W-what are you grinning about Brock?" Misty stuttered pushing him away with her new masculine strength which only served to amuse the Pokémon doctor.

"Oh nothing, you just seem to be acting like a gentleman all of a sudden" Brock said as he weakly veiled his laughter. "Guess that curse is getting worse... though I never remember Ash being a gentleman" Brock pointed out to embarrass the woman-turned-man, succeeding in his goal in the process.

"Brock you're reading too much into it" Misty said as he thoughts drifted to Ash's sleeping form by accident. "Let's get going, Solidad spotted Manaphy around this time" Misty quickly changed the conversation before storming off down the stairs.

"She really doesn't get it does she?" Brock sighed quietly when the former woman was out of earshot. _"She's becoming as dense as Ash" _he thought as a wide grin enveloped his face "but hey at least theirs progress" he said to himself as he walked down the stairs.

"Progress with what exactly?" Misty asked curiously gaining a shrug from Brock.

"Never mind" Brock sighed and walked out first and being one to not be left behind Misty followed, but not before writing Ash a little letter which she left on the table before sprinting out the door.

* * *

Ash didn't know where _she _was but it certainly was beautiful. There _she _stood in what seemed to be a field of vibrant multi-coloured flowers in a flowing white sundress. _Her _long ginger hair flowed in the mid-summer breeze, seemingly beckoning over a _man_ who stood at least a head taller than _her_.

As _she _looked up into the brown eyes, _she _suddenly realised he recognised this _man_, it was him... was it? No of course it wasn't it was _Mist. _What in the world could _she_ have been thinking? "Hey" Ash whispered shyly as the towering _man _smiled down on _her,_ making _her_ heart leap in a second.

"Hey" _Mist's_ deep voice sent chills through _her_ small frame as _he _reached out and stroked _her _hair lovingly. "You're so beautiful" _Mist _complimented, leaning down, stopping mere inches from the _woman's _lips.

"_Ashley"_

"AHHH" Ash screamed, eyes shooting open instantly as his body flailed in terror, startling Pikachu who was sent flying across the room by his wild, aimless kicks. "W-what was that?" Ash's voice trembled as a hot sensation took over his body. _"No way this isn't happening!" _Ash looked down to see to perky 'friends' standing at attention on his chest, tips clearly visible through his tight pyjama top.

"PIKA!" Pikachu roared in anger as he turned to Ash, prepared to zap his friend regardless if he'd meant to hurt him or not, that is until he saw the look of pure terror on Ash's face. "Pika? PikaPika?" Pikachu asked as Ash put one spare hand under the covers, green eyes widening after a few seconds.

"... " Ash's words failed to come out as he pulled his new, wet hand from under the covers before springing out of bed and rushing to the bathroom without even a second glance towards the Pokémon he cared for so dearly.

"_Don't tell me I actually liked that" _Ash thought as he turned the tap and cleaned his hand off before stripping off his clothes, taking no time to admire Misty's beautiful body like he had done so the last two days as he dived into the shower.

"I'm a guy, I like women" Ash quailed as he tried to clean himself of any evidence of potential arousal. "Ash... the name is Ash... why did I dream that" Ash's arms shaked as he lathered himself up with soap, taking little to no interest that he was touching Misty's body, in fact he was now used to the body as if it were his own and truthfully that scared him.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in fear as he trudged into the bathroom, almost afraid of Ash's ramblings. "Piika Piika!" Pikachu told his trainer, of course Ash didn't understand what Pikachu meant or even hear him clearly due to the splashing water but he appreciated the gesture.

"Pikachu its okay... just leave me alone for a little bit please" Ash said kindly enough that Pikachu after much deliberation left him alone to his momentary freak out. _"What if I start acting weird around Mist...and now that Brock knows he'll never let me here the end of it if he finds out" _Ash's doom and gloom attitude completely seized his thoughts.

"Just calm down... they won't find out... they won't" Ash repeated over and over to soothe himself. "This is the curse's fault, once I'm back in my body I'll be normal" Ash assured himself as he stopped the water and climbed out of the shower, grabbing a nearby towel before returning to my room.

Once in his room Ash froze on the spot. "Wait... why didn't Mist or Brock run in when I... screamed?" Ash whispered to himself as he stripped off the bedsheets to be on the safe side, tying a small knot in the towel that wrapped around him before doing so.

"Weren't we all going to search for Mananphy together?" Ash asked Pikachu who nodded his confirmation. "... I'm going to be so mad if they left me!" Ash growled in a very Misty like manner, gaining a curios look from Pikachu. "Don't you start Pikachu, today's already been traumatising enough" Ash told Pikachu who for once kept his laughs at bay and nodded.

"Thanks buddy" Ash whispered as he got to his feet and grabbed a pair of sky blue denim shorts, a miso floral cami top which was predominately to his shame, pink in colour, some sandals, the luvdisc necklace, his straw hat plus sunglasses and of course a new change of underwear for the ones he had inconveniently... 'ruined' overnight.

"The only advantage to these clothes is the breezy feeling" Ash said as he began to dress himself, much more naturally than he had done the past two days, no longer feeling completely emasculated by doing so. _"They don't feel too bad either" _Ash thought as he felt the fabric which clung to his soft skin, quickly letting go when he realised what he was doing.

After doing this Ash quickly did his hair, which was becoming a less trifling task, similar to his experience when getting dress. "Very manly" Ash said in a self-depreciated manner as he finished and got to his feet, afterwards turning to Pikachu. "Come on buddy let's get something to eat" he offered the little electric type who lit up instantly and sprinted at him before perching himself on Ash's shoulder.

"Pika!" he cried making Ash giggle softly.

"Yeah I'm feeling a little better now, thanks" Ash said as he strolled out of his room and down the stairs, spying a note on the coffee table shortly afterwards.

'Ash I'm sure you're very angry right now but hear me out...' the note read and Ash found it how Misty was strangely perceptive of how he would feel and as he continued to read carefully he came across a more startling line.

'Honestly I couldn't force myself to wake you up, you looked so peaceful and _cute _that I decided to let you sleep a little longer' the note continued, the words causing a girlish blush to appear on Ash's cheeks. _"Cute? What are you going on about Mist" _Ash thought as his heart-rate increased as did his level of embarrassment.

'So because of that Brock and I went off to search on our own, you should look around town if that's not too much' the latter part of the letter informed as Ash nodded his head. _"Well I GUESS I could do that" _Ash thought, still strangely revelling from being complemented whilst at the same time he felt revulsion because of the very same thing.

'So I'll see you back at the house later, if you find something very important come back instantly, Misty x' the letter finished which made Ash smile before putting it into his pocket. "I guess we'll be searching the town today Pikachu" Ash said as the smile got a little wider.

"Pika?"

"Yeah I know, food first" Ash sighed as he walked over to the kitchen. "Then we take some money from Misty's wallet and then we hit the streets!" Ash said making the little electric-type squeal happily at the fact that his trainer was acting... relatively normal again.

* * *

As Ash hit the town he noticed that he was actually drawing in a lot of attention from the male gender, fortunately for him however he didn't have any more 'weird reactions' like he had done so earlier. "Does Misty have to put up with this all the time?" Ash whispered in almost frustration as he traversed the long, upward sloping streets.

"So where do you think would be the best place to look Pikachu?" Ash asked softly as Pikachu started sniffing the air, however before he could finish he spotted the woman that joined them for dinner the night prior.

"Solidad!" Ash shouted out from across the street, capturing the pink haired woman's attention instantly.

"Misty?" she asked as she pulled down her shades a little before approaching him. "It IS you" she beamed as she looked around her nearby surroundings for Ash and Brock.

"They're not here, they left without me" Ash said in an almost disappointed manner as he pulled the letter out of his small pocket. "Though M.. _Ash _did leave me this letter" he said as he unfolded it, noticing that the names were the wrong way around.

"What's it say?" Solidad asked, much to Ash's relief, because it would blow their cover instantly.

"Uh well something along with lines of 'I couldn't bare waking you because you looked cute'" Ash said as his face began to flush a little more, something that Solidad did not fail to miss.

"Aw he's so cute, I really can't believe that you are just on a truce you know" Solidad told the man-turned-woman who looked away, embarrassed with the entire situation.

"No it's really true" Ash said in a shaky voice, clearly not believing it himself, or at least his heart didn't.

"Oh really?" Solidad's disbelieving, almost teasing tone pierced through Ash's fragile lie. "By the way you both acted towards each other last night... I'd say that you actually care for each other a lot" Solidad said in a detached manner as she spied Ash's response which gave him away instantly.

"Nah _Ash _just wanted to put a good show on for everyone..." Ash said reluctantly, not wanting to venture into the realms of feelings, especially in his current body.

"Sure" a sweet sarcastic tone blew away Ash's intentions, clearly Solidad had already made her mind up and to be honest it was probably correct.

"So how do you feel about Brock?" Ash asked quickly as he tried to steer the conversation away from his relationship with Misty, which everyone seemed to be pressing on of late.

"He's nice, as you know we're childhood friends... I kind of like him" she said as Ash inwardly smiled, glad that his best friend finally got some luck. "Well... enough of that I'm glad I ran into you actually" Solidad said as she pulled out her Pokégear.

"Hm how come?" Ash asked with intrigue as she flipped open her phone.

"Is this what you were looking for?" she asked revealing a picture of the cute legendary water Pokémon, making Ash's eyes widen with shock.

"When did you take this?" Ash asked quickly getting a small giggle from Solidad.

"About two hours ago, he jumped into the water though so Arcanine could no longer track it" Solidad said in an apologetic manner. "In fact that really cut into my training time" Solidad said with a sigh.

"Oh sorry..." Ash uncharacteristically apologised.

"It's okay; I was about to do some training when I bumped into you, want to come with me?" Solidad asked in an almost hopeful way, mainly because she had few female friends, only rivals.

"_Should I?" _Ash thought as he looked at Solidad's 'pleading' expression. _"Well I guess I owe her" _Ash thought as a smile reached his lips. "Ok sure why not" Ash smiled, gaining a small hug from his new friend in the process which completely took him by surprised, luckily though he managed to keep a straight face about the contact. "Lead the way" Ash said since he didn't know where she'd want to train.

"Ok then" Solidad said in an upbeat manner, practically bouncing as she led Ash to her training spot.

* * *

After a short five minute walk the duo arrived at Solidad's hotel, surprising Ash who expected somewhere a little more private for practice, especially since Solidad was training for the Kanto Grand Festival. "Why the hotel?" Ash asked gaining a smile from his _fellow _female.

"The courtyard is perfect for training, they even have their own battlefield that's why I decided to stay in this hotel" Solidad informed her friend who originally assumed that she was using the hotel because it was the best one in Porta Vista.

"Is that so" Ash said as he thumbed the miniaturized Pokéballs that he'd put in his pocket before leaving. "So what are you going to be practicing today Sol?" Ash asked absentmindedly, not noticing that he'd just given the woman a nickname.

"Sol?" Solidad queried.

"Oh sorry, uh Solidad"

"No it's okay, just call me what you want I don't mind" she joked as she enlarged one of her Pokéballs. "Well to answer your question Mist, I've recently been training with my Arcanine, there's this new appeal I've been working on" she informed her new friend, giving her a nickname in response to gaining one herself.

"Mist..."

"Don't like it?" Solidad asked gaining a shake of the head from Ash.

"It's alright, I'll call you Sol from now on and you call me what you want" Ash said kindly as he made his way to a small bench right next to the battlefield they'd reached.

"Great" Solidad said as she stared at her Pokéball. "Ok you're up Arcanine, take the stage" she called out, throwing her Pokéball onto the ground summoning her majestic looking fire-type Pokémon which howled the moment it fully materialized.

"Arcaaa!" it cried out happily, almost like a puppy which made Ash realise that Solidad's Arcanine was probably quite immature despite is humongous size and physical prowess.

"Aw hello" Solidad affectionately petted her Arcanine which rubbed its head against her body in a similarly affectionate manner.

"Now Arcanine, today is the day you perfect that appeal we've been working on" Solidad said with a serious tone as she broke contact with her giant dog like Pokémon.

"Arcaa!" it cried out a little proudly until it turned to Ash whereupon it reverted to its puppy like manner. "Ar-canine!" the beast cried out and started to approach Ash but before he could reach the man-turned-woman Solidad called out to him.

"Arcanine, come back right this instant!" she ordered making the large fire type whimper and return to her side which kind of impressed Ash and made him concentrate even further on the field in front of him.

"Arcanine if you perform this right I'll treat you with your favourite poffin" Solidad said before she got started in an attempt to make her childish Pokémon take things a little more serious, needless to say it worked.

"Arcanine!" it cried out, now donning a focused expression, the exact kind that Solidad wanted and expected from her most recently caught Pokémon.

"Arcanine start off with fire spin!" Solidad started of the appeal as her Pokémon unleashed a vortex of searing hot flames which reached far onto the other side of the battlefield. "Now Extremespeed!" she ordered and as they had practiced many times, Arcanine darted into the flaming vortex creating a horizontal plume of flames, it's silhouette visible through the fire making it seem as if it's speed was creating a road of flame.

"Now use flame wheel!" Solidad commanded as Arcanine appeared on the far side of the fire, then it did something that took Ash completely by surprise because instead of stopping and going into a flame wheel it backflipped whilst utilising extremespeed to shoot off into the sky.

"Woah!" Ash cried as he looked up to see the sun shining down on Arcanine who was bathed in hot flames, some of which broke off to create an almost fire work affect.

"Great Arcanine!" Solidad complimented her Pokémon with a broad smile on her face. "Now finish it off, use roar!" she called her final attack, garnering an instant response from the fire-type.

"Ar-CANINE!" it roared loudly, dispersing all the flames around it's body in an instant as if it had commanded them to do so, these flames didn't just fizzle out though, instead the created more spectacular fireworks which rained down upon the battlefield, then as if they were harmless Arcanine landed on the field and posed proudly, waiting for the shower to end.

"You did it Arcanine!" Solidad said with relief, truth be told it was the first time that Arcanine had never perfected that appeal so it was a great relief to the former Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Grand Festival winner.

"Woah Solidad that was amazing" Ash said as he got to his feet, clapping without even knowing it which seemed to excite the puppy-like Arcanine.

"Arca!" Arcanine cried and dashed towards Ash who had to brace himself, but in the end it was for naught because Solidad who had foreseen Arcanine's moves threw a poffin into the air which snared its attention.

"That's one easily excited Arcanine" Ash commented as he looked watched Arcanine happily lapping up poffins, which were now being thrown towards it at regular intervals by Solidad.

"Tell me about it, he was so shy as a Growlithe but now you can't get him to stay still" Solidad joked as she turned to Ash. "So Mist have you ever been in a contest before?" Solidad asked as she walked over to Arcanine and pet him affectionately before returning it to its Pokéball.

"_Well I have but I doubt Misty has" _Ash thought as he shook his head. "No I'm too busy working in the gym" Ash said convincingly getting a small 'oh' from Solidad.

"Ah I see" Solidad said with a smile. "Want to try a contest battle with me for fun?" she asked and after a small moment of deliberation Ash accepted her offer. "Great, afterwards we can hit the town and go to a few shops that I absolutely love" Solidad said with excitement, making the former male shiver inwardly.

"S-sounds great" Ash stuttered and looked away.

"Oh I know you want to go and look for Manaphy... but who knows maybe with my luck I'll see it for a third time!" Solidad chimed and for some reason that sounded very possible to Ash who decided at that very moment that he'd go with her, besides he WAS starting to enjoy the young woman's company.

* * *

After a completely humiliating loss Ash and Solidad made their way to the various shops that could only be found in Porta Vista. "Hey Mist don't look so down" Solidad told her friend who didn't look the same since his loss.

"I didn't expect to lose THAT bad" Ash said as he remembered his Corphish getting completely outclassed by her Lapras.

"Well it was your first contest battle so it's understandable" Solidad said as she turned to see a nice little accessory shop. "Let's go in there!" she said in an attempt to change the subject, unfortunately Ash wouldn't forget it but he did stop talking about it.

"_A few days ago I was training for the champions league, now I am going shopping in Misty's body and the worst thing is I don't think it's all that bad" _Ash thought depressively as he allowed himself to be dragged around, mainly because he was slightly enjoying himself. _"We'll find Manaphy, we'll find it" _Ash thought as Solidad let go of his arm and started wandering around the store, leaving him on his own quite close to the door.

As he stood there quietly, not taking too much interest in the accessories for obvious reasons he noticed that he was once again attracting a lot of attention from the male contingent. However unlike their usual passive nature towards him throughout the day, this time one person actually gained the courage, or audacity whichever way you see it, to go up to him and talk.

"Hey there beautiful" a fairly confident man complimented Ash who literally cringed at his attention.

"Uh... who... me?" Ash said awkwardly as he looked at Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder, seemingly now in an attack position.

"Well of course, who else would I be talking about?" he asked in an overconfident manner, pure arrogance metaphorically seeping out of his body, though Ash guessed it was gained from his good looks, yes guys do know what an attractive guy is.

"Uh I'm no-"

"She's not interested" Solidad 'came to the rescue' not that she had too since if things somehow got violent Ash had Pikachu yet despite this she felt inclined to help out her new friend, unfortunately she received quite an angry stare for her troubles.

"Stay out of this" he said almost violently but the pink haired woman didn't back down.

"She already has a man for your information so you're a little late" Solidad claimed, momentarily stunning both the guy and Ash, and in this moment on confusion and bewilderment Solidad dragged Ash out of the store and to the other side of the street.

"Sol why did you have to say that?" Ash sighed, feeling embarrassed and humiliated at the prospect of having a 'man'.

"Well it's true isn't it, you and Ash and all" she said making Ash turn bright red in an instant which made the older woman giggle. "I knew it" she said excitedly as Ash looked away in embarrassment.

"Can we not talk about this please?" Ash asked in an uncharacteristically soft manner which seemed to stop Solidad's teasing in her tracks.

"Sure why not... how about we resume where we left off, and of course search for Manaphy at the same time" Solidad said gaining a nod from Ash before setting off once again on the town.

* * *

Whilst Ash and Solidad were taking a more casual approach to their search Misty and Brock had been working hard all day, searching high and low and in between for Manaphy and yet they came across no signs. "It's no use I think Solidad was just lucky to see it yesterday" Brock said as he attempted to catch his breath, tired from the days excursions

"I think you might be right Brock" Misty said as she sat down for a quick breather, wiping a huge amount of sweat from her forehead in the process. "I wonder how Ash's search is going" Misty said curiously, getting a shrug from Brock in response.

"Hm well so far only _girls _have seen Manaphy... maybe he'll find it" Brock joked, eliciting a small chuckle from Misty. "Well I don't think we should rest too much, let's just sit here for a bit and hope for Manaphy to stroll on by" he then said as he got into a haunched position.

"Hey Brock... this may sound weird but... how do you think Ash feels about me?" Misty asked on impulse, another trait she was picking up from the curse, or so she assumed anyway.

"Honestly... you both still love each other in my opinion" Brock said as he rubbed his shoulders "why?" he then asked, hoping for a good, positive reply.

"I was just wondering that's all" Misty said as she turned to the coastline, making Brock laugh again as he turned to the coastline, going pale in an instant.

"N-No way" Brock stuttered in almost fear which somehow unnerved the woman-turned-man.

"What is it Brock?" she asked as looked at what Brock was staring at. "... What's a Salamance doing out here?" Misty whispered as she looked at Brock.

"That's not what I'm worried about Mist" Brock whispered as he pointed to the woman standing on top of the Salamance which was hovering above the water as if it was searching for something. "We have to tell Ash about this immediately" Brock said as he got to his feet and pulled out his Pokégear, dialling Ash's number in an instant.

"Ash!" he shouted down the phone almost instantly, startling the man, well _woman _on the other end.

"What is it Brock? Also keep it down Sol's here" Ash whispered down the phone.

"Sol?

"Doesn't matter, why are you calling Brock?" Ash waved off any need to explain.

"Come back to the house immediately... trust me you are not going to like this" Brock said as his breathing became ragged, he knew all too well that the person he just saw was the worst possible person to be around when they were searching for Manaphy.

"Brock... what's the matter?" Ash asked reluctantly, kind of unnerved by Brock serious voice.

"Two words... Hunter J" Brock and seconds later the line went dead, much as he'd expected. "Misty let's head back to the house now, we have to think this through" Brock said as he took control of the situation, after all he knew how much of a threat J was.

"Brock who's Hunter J?" Misty asked as she caught up to Brock who'd already began running back to the summer house.

"She's a Pokémon Hunter and if my hunch is correct she is the last person you need to see when you're Manaphy cursed" he said as he picked up the pace, nearly leaving Misty in his dust.

* * *

It didn't take long for both duo's to arrive at the summer house under Brock's orders to regroup, Misty and Brock got their first though so they got to witness Ash bursting through the door with Solidad, both panting for air... looking very nice as they did so.

"B-Brock is it true, Hunter J" Ash panted and got a solemn nod from his best friend, causing him to grit his teeth in anger. It was a commonly known fact that Ash rarely hated anyone, he didn't hate Paul, he didn't even hate Team Rocket, but Hunter J oh boy did he hate her.

"How can that be, she crashed into Lake Valor, her ship exploded!" Ash screamed in anger, getting a strange look from Solidad and Misty in the process, meanwhile Brock understood his fears, after all J had almost succeeded in taking Pikachu away for good.

"I know A... Misty, but I saw her with my own eyes, she's really back and this could spell trouble for us" Brock said as he fell back onto the sofa.

"Uh who is the J?" Solidad asked suddenly, asking the question which Misty desperately wanted to ask.

"Hunter J is a Pokémon Hunter. She is ruthless and won't stop at anything to capture Pokémon which she then sells on for profit!" Brock explained with a rare growl showing that he too hated the woman.

"That's horrible!" Solidad gasped "but how does this make it really bad for us?" Solidad asked as she too sat down to catch her breath.

"We need Manaphy" Brock said, confusing his childhood friend. "I can't explain why but we really need Manaphy... plus these two are also betting on it so it makes it even more serious" Brock said in a serious tone which Solidad chose not to question.

"So if Hunter J gets to Manaphy first?" Misty asked slowly.

"Game over" Ash answered instantly. "We will never see that Manaphy again" Ash assured Misty who donned a look of fright at the prospect.

"Then what do we do? It's not like we know where Manaphy is!" Misty said in a rushed manner, gaining a small sigh from Brock.

"For now we should ask around for more information, whilst at the same time two of us should search for Manaphy" Brock told the group, all of which agreed with his line of thinking.

"Hm how about Brock and I look for information?" Solidad offered gaining a nod from Brock.

"That would be best, Misty is a water expert and Ash is the probably the best at catching Pokémon" Brock reasoned whilst inflating the egos of the two people in question in the process.

"Yeah I'm fine with that" Misty said as Ash nodded along his agreement as well.

"Great, I think we should go out now and meet back here around 7:00pm since there is no point in searching when night time approaches" Brock told them, getting a firm nod from all those present. "Alright then, let's go" he said as he got to his feet and made his way to the door.

* * *

As Brock and Solidad searched the town, Ash and Misty returned to the spot where it all began, the small 'lake' on the hillside area behind the house which laid past a large quantity of shrubbery and flowers.

"So why did we come here again?" Ash asked as he stood in front of the sparkling water.

"Well it is where we found Manaphy the first time" Misty said as she stared down on Ash and felt her heart racing a little. "Hey Ash... isn't funny that only a few days ago we couldn't even talk with each other?" Misty asked gaining a small laugh from her ex-boyfriend.

"Yeah maybe this was good for us... well it will have been once we get our bodies back" Ash sweetly said as he gave Misty a small smile which made her feel over the moon, whilst at the same time an unbearable longing.

"Yeah I think so too" Misty said, reaching a hand on and grasping Ash's, rubbing it softly with one of her large thumbs, smiling at the fact that he made no attempt to escape.

"Mist... have you had any strange dreams recently?" Ash asked a question that had been on his mind all day, ever since the incident in the bedroom.

"No... why?" Misty asked, gaining a small blush from an embarrassed Ash in the process.

"No reason" Ash lied in a cute manner which made Misty's mind go blank for a moment.

"How do you make me look so beautiful?" she asked subconsciously.

"Remember what I said yes-"

"No what I meant was, how come you are so... beautiful right now?" Misty asked as she pulled Ash close, her body acting completely on impulse, as if she had no control over her actions.

"Mist..." Ash said moments before the woman-turned-man's head descended and captured his lips momentarily, sending an electric shock up his spine and turning his brain to mush before he pushed back out of sheer will and embarrassment.

"M-Misty what do you think-"

"Mana" a shrill voice caught the duo's ears at that very moment. "Mana Manaphy"

"M-Mist" Ash stuttered as a smile reached his lips. "Let's capture that thing" he whispered, whipping around on his heel, ready to undo his dreadful curse.

Their first meeting but will they succeed all in all... less than five days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok I cannot believe I wrote this on the weekend! I thought I wasn't going to write but here I am writing once more!

So the curse has finally affected their attraction, and that is only towards each other... I wonder what will happen once day four comes along, after all the curse is getting stronger as the days go by. Oh and of course they had their first kiss, of course it was not long lasting, after all Ash's Masculine pride wouldn't let that happen.

On and unrelated note I watched the Tennis and Johnny/Jonny Marray won the doubles, becoming the first British/English man to do so in over 70 years which has left me so very very happy.

Ok that is all, seriously I am not sure if I'll update tomorrow though, today I guess I was in a good mood.

Hope you all enjoyed and PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW so I can continue to remain inspired to write.

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	7. Day Three Part Two

Change of Perspective Chapter Seven

Ok my reviews are dropping so I assume the story is getting worse? Either way I I'm still going to continue writing for those who enjoy, I just wished there was a little something more to show for the effort I've put in from all my updating.

Still at this rate I should get to my goal of 150+ reviews which I hope everyone can contribute towards.

Now on with the story, there's Manaphy on the loose after all!

Day Three Part Two

Truthfully, deep down inside Ash had felt as if they'd never find Manaphy. After all legendary Pokémon are known for their elusiveness, so now that it, the creature he'd spent the last couple of days searching for stood in front of him he knew he couldn't let this chance slip away.

"Mist..." Ash started, almost reeling in shock from his ex's previous actions before shaking his head to shoo away the unnecessary thoughts, he could talk about what just happened at a later date.

"Not now" Misty echoed his sentiments, ready to pounce on the prince of the sea which stood deadly still in front of the lake, a smile on its face indicating that it was extremely pleased about something.

"Mana Mana Manaphy!" it cried, bouncing up and down with excitement as Pikachu dived off Ash's shoulders, ready to attack when Ash gave the word.

"Pikachu use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded snapping Manaphy changing Manaphy's state of joy into a state of fright.

"What Ash call it-" Misty tried to stop her ex from attacking, after all she noticed that there was something strange with Manaphy's attitude, but unfortunately it was too late.

"Pika!" Pikachu roared as electricity crackled at across is cheeks, startling Manaphy who instantly dived into the water to protect itself. "Chuuuuu!" Pikachu fired, but it was too late, Pikachu hadn't aimed for the water so his bolt of electricity just crashed into a nearby rock formation.

"Ash! You idiot!" Misty insulted, slightly upsetting the future master of Pokémon, much more than it would have a few days prior.

"What?" Ash shouted back, becoming distracted which gave Manaphy a chance to swim deeper and deeper into the water.

"Nevermind I'll tell you afterwards" Misty said as she ran past his prone form, stopping right at the water's edge. "You stay here just in case" Misty said as she inhaled deeply and dived under the water with the intent of following Manaphy.

"Eh?" Ash let out a strange, confused noise as Misty disappeared from sight. _"Why did she call me stupid and why must I stay here?" _Ash thought angrily as he walked up to the water's edge and instead of acting disobedient, sat down and did what he was told. _"She has to have a reason for it... she is a master in water after all" _Ash thought in a rare case of true submissiveness.

Meanwhile, under the water Misty was becoming extremely startled at how deep the lake was becoming. _"How is this possible?" _she thought as she reached into her pockets and pulled out a Pokéball, summoning Gyarados in an instant.

"Gyara!" the massive dragon-like water Pokémon cried, forcing some meeker water types that resided in the lake to flee in terror.

'Down there' Misty mimed, losing so vital air the process as she gripped onto Gyarados' fins tightly seconds before the giant water type descended at a rapid rate, bringing the fleeing legendary Pokémon into vision to which Misty pointed, indicating that Gyarados should follow.

"_This isn't looking too good" _Misty thought, after all her lung capacity wasn't what it used to be in her old body and she knew she couldn't hold out for much longer, yet she continued to dive deeper to track the impressively quick and agile Manaphy which managed to give her Gyarados a good race.

"Manaa!" it cried out in salvation as it reached an opening near the bottom the lake and entered, this opening was certainly large enough for a human but definitely not a Gyarados that was something Misty could be sure of.

"_Where does that lead to?" _Misty wondered as she felt herself slowly running out of air _"no good I can't risk it" _Misty thought before slapping Gyarados gently on the back capturing its attention.

'Up' Misty mimed, pointing a finger upwards which earned herself a begrudging roar from the beast which had just lost its prey before it ascended quickly, sensing that its trainer was running out of air by the look in her new brown eyes.

"_Just a little further" _Misty thought as they continued to ascend desperately grasping onto her consciousness with a firm grip, she knew she could die if she didn't and that would be the worst way to go, especially for a water Pokémon specialist.

"Gyaraaaa!" Gyarados cried out with more intensity, completing the final charge powerfully as it burst out of the water which made Ash shriek momentarily as he leapt back from reflex.

"Oh thank Arceus, air" Misty cried as she continued to hold onto Gyarados tightly, savouring and appreciating oxygen more than she'd ever had done in her life. "Good..." Misty panted, shaking her now clouded head. "Good work Gyarados" she said gaining an affectionate roar from the atrocious Pokémon.

As Misty did this Ash looked up and tilted his head at Misty's heavy panting. "Mist are you alright?" Ash called out with a hint of worry in his feminine tone, capturing her attention instantly, upsettingly though it was negative attention.

"Ash... why in the world did you attack Manaphy?" Misty shouted in a half exasperated tone as she took in large breaths of air and hopped off Gyarados, returning it to its Pokéball in the process.

"W-what?" Ash stuttered in confusion. "How else am I meant to catch it?" he shouted back, for it was more like a scream.

"Didn't you notice how strangely Manaphy was acting?" she asked as she walked right up to him, standing mere inches from him as she looked down at him.

"...No" Ash said honestly making the woman-turned-man sigh in frustration, though she was kind of glad that he was telling the truth for once. "... Why would that matter anyway?" he followed up as he stepped backwards once, feeling a little intimidated.

"_Did Misty feel like this when we started arguing?" _Ash wondered as he studied his former face which looked as if it was trying to banish away anger.

"That Manaphy would have probably allowed us to approach it if you hadn't attacked" Misty revealed as she remembered the happy, pleased expression on its cute face. "Now it'll probably run whenever we go near it" Misty concluded negatively, making the former male feel kind of guilty for ruining their chance.

"Sorry" Ash apologised uncharacteristically, after all it was well known that Ash never owned up to his mistakes, especially when it involved Misty. This rare act was enough to calm the former woman who sighed as a result of her change of heart.

"It's okay" Misty said as she put a hand on Ash's head, making him feel kind of condescended but at the same time it brought him a little relief that she wasn't too angry.

"_What's with me all of a sudden?" _Ash thought in a panic, scared of why he could be so happy at the fact that she wasn't angry. "So... where did Manaphy go anyway?" Ash softly asked, curious as to how someone who was born to be in the water could lose track of the legendary prince of the sea.

"Uh let's talk about that at the house" Misty said as she finally pocketed Gyarados' Pokéball, noticing that Ash looked kind of worried why she wouldn't tell him right now which brought a smile to her face. "It's easier to explain to everyone at once" Misty said as she awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"Oh okay" Ash saw the logic in what she said so he agreed. "... About earlier" Ash said quietly, cheeks reddening in the process.

"Let's talk about that later as well" Misty said as she too flushed, but not as deeply as Ash had.

"Pika Pikaa" Pikachu cried happily as he watched the two end an 'argument' on good terms for the first time in years, happy that the gap between them was starting to shorten at a very fast rate.

* * *

As promised the two groups met bet up at the house around seven, granted Misty and Ash had returned earlier than expected because they had already found what they were looking for, unfortunately it meant nothing but at least it gave them hope of finding it again.

"So you're telling us that you saw Manaphy?" Brock asked in a tone of disbelief as he and Solidad sat down on the sofa, resting their worn out legs which had carried them all across town since they split up into two groups.

"Yeah, in the hill region behind the house... I kind of attacked it and it ran away" Ash said guiltily gaining a sympathetic look from Brock and Solidad, Misty just leant back in her chair in slight frustration, but she didn't vocalise it.

"So did you guys find anything out?" Misty asked as Ash stared at the floor, still feeling bad that his crucial mistake let Manaphy get away.

"Yeah actually we did" Solidad piped up, seizing both Ash and Misty's attention. "Well let's just say Manaphy's appearances seem to correspond with the time of day" Solidad said as she turned to Brock to continue with the explanation.

"Basically in the mornings Manaphy is spotted in the sea, this is why there are so little appearances in the sea, then eventually it goes full circle and is often noticed going up the hill area" Brock said with a smile. "Of course there are some times when this hasn't been true but those are few and far between" Brock said wisely.

"Which means our meeting with Manaphy was no coincidence?" Ash asked getting a nod from Solidad.

"Exactly right Misty" she grinned. "We also heard that Manaphy doesn't appear after a certain time, which makes it possible that it nests in a specific place" Solidad explained which made Misty's eyes widen instantly.

"_It couldn't be..." _she thought curiously, remembering the hole at the bottom of the lake. "Hey Brock... I think I may know where it is... but we won't know that until it settles for the day" Misty informed the man.

"Where?" Ash cut in before anyone else could talk.

"At the bottom of that lake... Manaphy swam into a crevice, perhaps it sleeps in there" Misty theorised gaining a nod from Brock.

"That could be the case... Manaphy are known to gather at low depths" Brock murmured, this however went completely over the heads of Ash and Solidad, after all they weren't water specialists nor were they former breeders.

"So... why don't we just go now?" Ash suggested.

"Nah that wouldn't be smart without breathing equipment" Misty answered instantly, remembering her own close call.

"All the places to rent that sort of stuff won't be open now" Solidad cut in, which meant they couldn't explore that crevice for at least a full day.

"What if we go early in the morning?" Ash suggested but Brock shook his head.

"No remember it travels in a sort of round trip, we won't have enough time, our best bet is to go there the same time as today" Brock said wisely which helped the group decide on their next course of action.

"For now we can't do anything, I think we should get everything prepared tomorrow, but keep a look out just in case" Brock finished the discussion on Manaphy getting a nod from everyone, granted Ash's was a little reluctant, mainly because he was the one suffering the most.

"Great now with that out of the way who wants lunch, I'll cook" Brock asked as he got to his feet, getting a raised hand from all present.

"I'll help if you want" Solidad offered, which made the doctor blush, it was almost a dream come true.

"O-of course" Brock stuttered much to the amusement of his two friends, whom he left behind as she went to the kitchen with Solidad.

* * *

"They would make a cute couple" Misty commented once they were out of earshot making the man-turned-woman giggle at her comment, clearly he knew something that she didn't and that kind of irritated her.

"What's so funny _Misty_" Misty teased curiously, making him huff angrily.

"Oh it's just Solidad _does _like Brock that's all" Ash said in an off-handed manner, smiling as he spied Misty's slacked jaw in the corner of his eye.

"Really?" Misty asked excitedly, feeling glad for her long time friend as the former male nodded his head.

"Yup told me today, just before the incident" Ash said before mentally face palming, it wouldn't be wise telling Misty after all.

"Incident... what incident?" Misty asked curiously, giving Ash a sharp stare that meant 'I really want to know, so tell me' but Ash didn't budge.

"Oh it was nothing" Ash said and looked away, only for Misty to walk around him and look into his eyes.

"Tell me!" she demanded which made him laugh awkwardly, he was getting used to a forceful Misty and that was quite a bad thing on his part.

"Well... let's just say I was kind of hit on" Ash revealed embarrassedly, almost humiliated by the fact that something like that could happen to him.

"Oh really?" Misty asked 'calmly' yes her tone was calm, but the look on her face showed an entirely different picture. Just as Ash had felt jealousy about Misty she too felt jealousy for him, though unlike Ash she looked extremely pissed off.

"... Mist are you... ok?" Ash asked reluctantly, scooting backwards as far as he could, almost feeling like a trapped animal when she followed him so the gap between them wouldn't widen.

"Oh me?" she asked with a scary smile. "Just fine _Misty _just fine" she said as her hands balled up into fists. "How did you react?" Misty then asked, hoping that Ash would give her an answer that she could be satisfied with.

"B-before I could tell him to go away Sol said..." Ash started unconfidently, not understanding why he was feeling so meek under his former bodies gaze.

"Sol... Solidad right?" Misty said not waiting for Ash to answer. "What did she say?" Misty practically demanded which made Ash sigh.

"_Is this how I acted when I got jealous? Demanding and a little snide?" _Ash thought disparagingly finally understanding why Misty got annoyed at his occasional jealous outbreaks. "She said... _I already had a man_" Ash whispered the last part to the point that it was inaudible.

"Hmm?" Misty hummed sarcastically.

"T-that I already had a man" Ash said with embarrassment, looking away feeling thoroughly humiliated, it was one to hear it, but having to speak it? That was too much for him.

"..." Misty was quiet for a moment before smiling "did you deny it?" Misty asked which made the former male turn a little red.

"Not really..." Ash admitted which changed Misty's disposition in an instant, going from angry to very satisfied.

"Good, that's my _girl_" she said instantly, covering her mouth just as fast. _"Wait did I just say girl?" _Misty wondered as she spied Ash's expression which was now very annoyed. _"... Oh no" _Misty thought with dread as she watched Ash get up and stomp off, looking like a ripe tomato. "Ash... sorry" she apologised but by then Ash had already disappeared up the stairs, slamming his door in the process.

Once inside the room Ash sat down and placed his back against the door just in case. _"What was that?" _Ash's mind cried out as he put a hand over his chest, noticing a very fierce beating, he'd never felt so strange in his entire life. "What's happening to me?" Ash whispered, not noticing that Misty had crept up the stairs and was listening to him.

"If she keeps this up I may actually fall for her" Ash whispered to himself in an almost worried manner, unaware that his ex-girlfriend was starting to think the exact same thing.

As the curse is reaching the half way point their feelings grow stronger... can this 'curse' really be broken?

* * *

(End Chapter)

Sorry guys this chapter is incredibly short, that is because I actually added way too much of Day 3 into the first 'half' which meant I had little to work with and I didn't want to have to create new material because that could alter how the story would progress which would derail my plans and I know you wouldn't want that to happen.

I can assure you that NEXT chapter will be longer and back to its regular length and it will be back to its usual quality. Now that the 'groundwork' has been set the next 4 days are going to be INTERESTING, with enough shippy and action moments that it'll keep you entertained, well I hope anyway.

I must say I watched the Tennis yesterday, Andy Murray did the nation proud even if he didn't beat the majestic Federer, his speech at the end almost made me cry and that is quite the accomplishment.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed, also please LEAVE A REVIEW to make me motivated and to help me towards 150 reviews.

Happy Manaphy Hunting.

-Aquilon


	8. Day Four Part One

Change of Perspective Chapter Eight

Ok then I am only a few reviews off reaching Responsibilities' review count, with less hits, chapters and words so thank you all. Oh and I need around 8.5 reviews a chapter to reach my goal by the end since I have the amount of chapters set in stone pretty much.

Once again thanks go out to the dedicated reviewers, this time to C'sMelody for his/her reviews.

Last chapter we noticed the increasing change in Ash and Misty, I wonder what day four will bring?

Now let's capture the Manaphy! Onwards ahoy!

Day Four Part One

The night was now a fearful thing for Ash no he wasn't afraid of the dark, it was in fact the potential dreams that was scaring him. Unfortunately for him he couldn't avoid them and once again he dreamt a rather controversial dream which completely threatened his masculinity, or at least that's the way he saw it.

"P-Pikachu" Ash stuttered eyes open to greet the new day.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as he was roused from his sleep.

"Why did this have to happen?" he asked Pikachu who could sadly give him no answer. _"And why aren't I afraid as I was yesterday?" _ He wondered curiously as if the prospect of fraternizing inappropriately with his former body didn't sound so daunting. _"Just stay calm Ash, you have four days" _he assured himself as he dragged his body out of bed and walked to the shower, much like he had done the previous day.

As he stepped into the cubicle he found himself completely disinterested with his new body, a fact that scared yet intrigued him at the same time. After all it was no secret that he'd taken his time to 'appreciate' his new body a few times since the switch, yet right now he was acting as if everything was perfectly natural as if it was the way things were supposed to be.

"_I have to be going crazy" _Ash thought as he ran his fingers through his long ginger hair which also felt natural, he could barely remember what it was like to have his spiky untamed black hair, well tamed and styled ginger hair was the way to go clearly.

In fact this was an issue he didn't really like to touch upon because in all honesty he could barely remember what it was like to be 'himself' but he knew he could remember the feeling only the day prior. All the 'chores' such as sitting down to go to the toilet, getting dressed in women's clothes and as demonstrated, showering, none of them was affecting him anymore.

"How strange" he murmured as he climbed out of the cubicle, instantly wrapping a towel around himself as he made his way into his room. "Why am I feeling... normal?" he muttered as he sat himself down and petted Pikachu. "I can't wait to return to my body... I just wonder what it will feel like" he mused as he got to his feet and started to prepare for the long day ahead.

* * *

"I have to stop doing this" the woman-turned-man sighed as she cleaned up the 'mess' she'd made. "Stupid Ash and his stupid suggestions" Misty murmured as she stripped herself completely bare, feeling completely natural in the process, but unlike Ash the whole situation didn't bother her as much.

'Sorry BUT there's no appropriate way of getting rid of that here' Misty remembered Ash's words and sadly after hearing them she willing partook in the act, and in a slightly more frightening manner she didn't seem to be too fazed by it, in fact she... enjoyed it.

"Not only am I finding this ok, I'm practically raping him" Misty sighed as she climbed into the shower, which from her perspective gotten so much smaller since she switched bodies. _"That dream really excited me" _Misty thought as she felt a reaction down below as the hot water cascaded down her well muscled body.

"_But isn't it weird that I'd think of my body doing THAT?" _Misty thought in an attempt to make herself feel guilty about those kinds of thoughts but unfortunately she couldn't force herself to believe they were wrong. _"It must be this body... or perhaps it's something about Ash..." _she suggested mentally, after all she had no thoughts about other women, only Ash.

"_Is that how Ash thought about me, was I the only one he..." _she thought as her lower half stood at attention which made her curse lightly about the inconvenience. "You really like to stand up and be heard don't you?" she joked sarcastically as she looked down on it, sighing once more.

"No more loving" she told it sternly before turning off the water and walking back into her room, with the intent of getting ready for the long day, much as Ash was in the other room, luckily for her though it didn't take long to get ready.

All in all it could be said that Ash was suffering and Misty was embracing the opportunity, the question was, where was all this leading to in the long run?

* * *

After both parties were ready they met in the dining area, awaiting the breakfast they could smell cooking in the kitchen. "Have a good night?" Misty asked to banish the silence, gaining a small, embarrassed nod from the former male who seemed unable to make eye contact with her.

"Frisky dream?" Misty then asked almost mockingly, trying to mask the fact that she too had experienced such a dream the night prior for now.

"How'd you know?" Ash stuttered softly making the former woman laugh.

"'Have you had any strange dreams recently?'" Misty repeated the question Ash asked her yesterday, making the current league victor form an 'O' with his now beautiful mouth, something which Misty's mind took notice to instantly.

"Well have you?" Ash asked again, hoping he wasn't the only one witnessing strange fantasies every night which involved him and his former body.

"Actually I have" Misty admitted, startling Ash because he never expected Misty to admit to such a thing. "Let's just say you were involved... it was _fun_" Misty teased, making the man-turned-woman flush and turn away, no it wasn't embarrassment, it was the fact that he found Misty's words strangely... appealing.

"Ok you guys enough of your flirting" Brock's voice caught their ears, silencing them instantly as he entered the room, holding in his hands two plates of well cooked bacon, beans, sausage and all the other fatty foods that didn't really appeal to Ash's mindset at the moment.

As he placed the plates down he put the one with the most food on in front of Ash and then the one with the least in front of Misty, becoming surprised when they both look dissatisfied. "...What's wrong?" he asked curiously as Ash and Misty gave each other a strange look before exchanging their meals.

"Not enough"

"Too much"

The words were strange and foreign to Brock and almost made him reel from the shock of it all, luckily he pulled through. "Ok..." Brock said awkwardly, after all Ash was a glutton and Misty was quite a light eater and though they were Manaphy cursed he didn't expect that to change.

"I'll be right back" Brock said as he returned to the kitchen to get his own food, leaving the two bodyswapped individuals alone.

"Never thought you'd pass up a large portion" Misty mocked before shoving some bacon into her mouth forcefully, clearly starving.

"Oh yeah, I never thought you'd get so greedy" Ash joked back, gaining a small glare from his ex, but instead of becoming offended he found it kind of amusing.

"I blame both you and the curse" Misty pointed the finger towards Ash who shrugged it off like it was nothing, quite the change of attitude from previous days.

"I'll just do the same" Ash teased, sticking his tongue out in such a manner that Misty felt as if her ex was baiting her, tempting her, giving her an invitation.

"_Practically rape him with your... his hand and now you are mentally doing it, get a grip Misty!" _Misty inwardly scolded herself as Brock re-entered the room which brought her some relief, after all she was feeling strangely prideful and she didn't want Brock to see her do anything... inappropriate.

"So I was thinking" Brock said as he put his plate on the table. "Would you mind taking me to this 'lake' before we get started?" Brock asked his friends, wanting to check something out about it before they decided to do anything serious.

"Yeah... it'll also help us kill some time" Ash agreed before Misty had a chance. "Manaphy doesn't appear until around 5:00pm, if there is something down there we shoulder probably familiarize ourselves with it" Ash suggested, surprising all present which his slight tactical thinking.

"Are you feeling alright Ash?" his two friends asked instantly, making Pikachu laugh in the process.

"Ha-ha very funny you two" Ash said as he put the last piece of bacon into his mouth, forcing himself to swallow the food. "I can't wait until I can eat my normal portions" Ash said wistfully, earning a chuckle from Misty.

"You make it sound like that's your main incentive" she teased as she too took her last bite, completely unaware that she'd almost hit the mark, after all Ash couldn't really picture himself as well himself anymore, so he was merely grasping at any positives.

"Whatever" Ash huffed and looked away. "So Brock you going to call Sol so she can come with us?" Ash asked the man who raised a brow in confusion.

"Sol?" he queried.

"I asked the same thing yesterday" Misty quickly cut in. "Probably some nickname between Ash and his best 'girlfriend'" Misty mocked, making the former male growl lowly, not because she was wrong, but because it was pretty much the truth in some weird way.

"Ah I see" Brock said a little more nicely, but it did sound like he was teasing as well. "To answer your question Ash, I want to check out this 'lake' on my own, we need Solidad to find us some breathing equipment anyway so she'll be coming along... probably" Brock assured his long-time friend who smiled at the knowledge.

"That's cool, maybe you'll get to see her in a wetsuit then" Ash said as he got to his feet, giggling at the look on Brock's face, Misty also joined in with laughter which left Brock feeling very embarrassed.

"...You got me that time" Brock said calmly as he took his final bite. "Who knows if you're lucky you may get to see Misty in one" Brock deflected the tease.

"As if I'd want to see that!" Ash cried back in an embarrassed manner making Brock sigh from delight.

"_I've finally won for once" _he thought as he watched Ash in Misty's body flee the scene, giving him much amusement though one thing did concern him about Ash's reaction. _"I only meant it as a joke... don't tell me he really" _he thought as he remembered the tale of the Princess and the Manaphy and laughed.

"Brock that wasn't nice" Misty said once Ash was out of the room.

"Hey I was only joking" Brock practically protested, hands waving in front of him.

"Yeah well... you may of hit the nail on the head" Misty said almost too happily for Brock's liking.

"Mist don't tell me you too?" Brock asked gaining a shrug from Misty who began to walk off.

"I might" was all Misty said before walking off towards where Ash fled, leaving behind a very perplexed and intrigued young man, well that was until he looked downwards.

"_Ah I see" _Brock thought as he stared at his friends empty plates. "How lazy can you get?" he then sighed as he picked theirs up as well and took them to a kitchen, in the end a caretakers job is never done it seems, or at least this is what Brock thought.

* * *

After cleaning up their mess from breakfast the trio headed towards the lake where it all began and Brock had to admit it was pretty strange. "Guys, especially you Misty, don't you find it weird that a Manaphy would live in a lake instead of the sea?" Brock asked as he approached the water, crouching down to inspect it.

"Yeah but such cases aren't unheard of in water Pokémon" Misty said as she too approached the water, leaving Ash completely out of the loop, not that he had anything worthwhile to say in the first place.

"Hm" Brock murmured as he put his hand into the water a scooped some of it into his hand and stared at it for a minute.

"Brock what are you doing?" Misty asked curiously as she joined Brock in his 'simply fascinating' act of staring at water.

"Well bottoms up" Brock said much to Misty's surprise as he put some into his mouth and cringed before spitting it out, coughing violently afterwards.

"Brock are you okay?" Ash finally got involved, walking over to him only to get waved away by Brock who was still coughing.

"Hm" Misty murmured, taking not interest in Brock's coughing as she too scooped up some water and put it in her mouth. "Bleh!" she cried as she too spat it out which made Ash facepalm.

"_I'm so not trying that" _Ash thought as he went up to Misty and patted her on the back as she coughed violently, not asking for 'permission' like he had done so with Brock. "Are you alright, what's wrong?" Ash asked both of his friends though his focus was more on Misty than Brock who was starting to recover.

"Yeah just fine" Brock said as he stared at the water. "Just as I suspected" he then claimed as he turned to Ash who merely tilted his head in confusion along with Pikachu.

"T-this is saltwater" Misty said before Brock had a chance to explain gaining a nod from the former breeder.

"Yep and without a better explanation, I'd say it's saltier than normal" Brock said as he wiped his tongue. "Question is, why is there a lake of sea water?" Brock murmured gaining a shrug of the shoulders from Ash whose knowledge on water was extremely basic.

"I don't know but that explains why Gyarados couldn't catch Manaphy" Misty said as she too completely recovered from the salty taste.

"Uh... I'm lost" Ash said honestly, making his ex sigh and his best friend laugh.

"Gyarados are slower in sea water, often or not they are a fresh water species but they can survive in the ocean too" Misty explained gaining a nod from Brock.

"Manaphy are notorious for their abilities in salt water after all they are the prince of the sea" Brock said as he stood upright. "The fact that this is salt water also pretty much concludes we've found the right spot" Brock said much to Ash's confusion once again.

"Unlike Gyarados who can live in both types of water Manaphy are not known for making habitats in fresh water, in fact I don't think I've ever heard a case of a Manaphy living in a lake" Misty explained to Ash who once again formed an 'O' with his mouth.

"So what you're saying is because this is salt water there's a chance of Manaphy living down there?" Ash asked in the simplest of ways, earning himself a nod from his ex and his best friend.

"Pretty much" Brock answered as he turned his sight back to the lake. "I wonder what's inside that crevice anyway" Brock murmured as he turned around. "Give me a second you guys I'll just call Solidad" Brock informed his friends who grinned deviously at his comment.

"Aw he got her number isn't the cute Ash?" Misty teased making the older male blush.

"I don't think I've _ever _heard something that cute" the former male followed up sarcastically, making his ex cackle as Brock stormed off with his phone which concerned Ash a little, but at the same time it amused him so he didn't particularly mind.

"Hey Ash" Misty said capturing his complete attention in the process.

"Yeah?" Ash asked as he spun on his heel to look at her.

"Good one" she said as she grinned at him. "Your sarcasm is actually amusing when it's not directed at me" she then complimented, enjoying the look of joy on Ash's face which followed, sadly before she could act upon anything Brock returned.

"Ok guys we'll meet Solidad at her hotel, you ready to go?" he asked in an excited manner gaining some rather light headed nods from his friends in return.

"Yeah sure, why not?" they said in unison as they joined the man who was already on his way down the hill before they could reply.

* * *

After meeting up with Solidad at her hotel she lead the group to a good place to get diving gear, during the trip Ash and Solidad walked together up front, meanwhile Brock and Misty just walked from behind, finding it almost amusing how attached the two 'girls' were becoming.

"So Mist... tell me the truth how do you feel about Ash?" Solidad asked in a whisper which piped Misty's interest but she decided to stay back and watch for the time being.

"Uh... I may _kinda..._" Ash said quietly to the point that the end of his answer became inaudible.

"Why are you being so shy?" Solidad asked as she turned back to Brock and 'Ash' who were finding the 'talk' very amusing. "Brock don't mock Misty behind her back" Solidad warned which made the man-turned-woman laugh, Brock on the other hand nodded furiously since he didn't want to ruin what was blossoming between himself and his childhood friend.

'Haha loser' Ash mimed to Brock as he looked over his shoulder, gaining a very annoyed look from his best friend which amused him greatly.

"So where were we Mist?" Solidad asked to her new friend who shrugged.

"A little... probably... _definitely" _Ash said quietly once more which made hearts practically form in Solidad's eyes, you wouldn't guess it but much like Brock Solidad was also a hopeless romantic.

"Then what are you going to do?" Solidad asked excitedly, earning a shrug from the former male.

"I'm going to wait it out" Ash said gaining a 'huh' from Solidad which made him laugh. "Uh never mind, let's just say I have something to do first before I can say anything" Ash admitted as he turned around and stared at his former body for a brief moment. _"Don't look for too long or you may actually become attracted" _Ash's mind said, giving the former male the motivation to drag his eyes away, in fear that it could actually come to pass.

* * *

After getting their diving gear the group headed back to the house and got dressed into their swimsuits because they'd only got breathing equipment, which actually didn't bother Brock because Solidad looked better in a swimsuit anyway.

As the group walked towards the lake Ash was growing more and more concerned with his inability to keep his eyes away from his old body, the only saving grace was he only had the reaction to his own body and nothing else, in fact he remained as repulsed as ever with any other male bodies except his own.

"_Well at least I can remain somewhat normal..." _Ash thought as the group arrived at their destination, the strange lake which apparently housed Manaphy.

"So do you know exactly where this crevice is Ash?" Solidad asked as she put her goggles on and her breathing equipment, gaining a shrug from the water Pokémon expert.

"Relatively, it's on the north side so if we go directly down and then forwards we should find it eventually" Misty replied as she put her goggles on and turned to Ash, feeling her body react 'happily' in the process at the sight. "We should be careful and bring at least one water Pokémon, we don't really know what else is lurking down there" Misty told the group getting a nod from Solidad and Brock.

"Wait you went down there last time and didn't get attacked" Ash cut in only to make Misty laugh.

"Yeah that's true but that's because I had Gyarados, you three on the other hand would be sitting Psyducks, or worse my Psyduck" Misty said gaining a laugh from Ash and Brock.

"Ok I get it" Ash said as he grabbed Buizel's Pokéball off the Pokéball 'holster' he'd attacked to his hip, yes Misty did own one of those much to his delight. "Come on out Buizel!" Ash called summoning the weasel-like water Pokémon.

"Why Buizel?" Misty asked curiously.

"Because of all my water types Buizel is by far the one who enjoys fighting the most, right buddy?" he asked Buizel who nodded his agreement almost instantly.

"Remember Pikachu no electric attacks" told the tiny electric type whom nodded his head and put on his own breathing device.

"Brock, Solidad do you have any water types with you?" Misty then asked, gaining a nod from both of them.

"... Which would should I use Slowbro or Lapras?" Solidad asked as she stared at her Pokéballs.

"I think Lapras" Ash said, after all he had fond memories of his own Lapras.

"But my Lapras hates going under water, she's a bit of a baby like that" Solidad claimed before making a strange expression. "Then we have my Slowbro who is... well very slow as the name would suggest" Solidad joked, making Ash laugh a little.

"Hey you can just use Swampert with me" Brock suggested as he called out his Swampert which had evolved during the time that Brock was training to become a doctor.

"Swam-Pert!" Brock's Hoenn starter roared as it landed in front of the group.

"Swampert do you think you can keep an eye on the two of us?" he asked his most powerful Pokémon bar his Steelix.

"Swaam!" the Pokémon cried out confidently making the former breeder grin and turn to his childhood friend.

"Well I guess that's that" Solidad said as she walked up to Swampert and stroked him. "I'll be counting on you Swampert" she said kindly which brought hearts to the aquatic Pokémon's eyes.

"Well at least that's sorted out" Misty said as she pulled out Gyarados' Pokéball. "I'll go first" she said and threw the Pokéball into the water, unleashing the atrocious Pokémon once more. "Gyarados follow me down" Misty said as she ensured all her gear was ready, turning to Ash and winking before diving in, which made the pink haired top co-ordinator whistle much to Ash's embarrassment.

"Stop that Sol" Ash whined as he walked to the water's edge. "Ready Pikachu, Buizel?" he asked the two gaining nods from the Pokémon. "All right let's not let Ash beat us!" he said as he dived into the water excitedly, leaving behind a grinning Solidad.

"Mist and Ash are really cute together" she said to her childhood friend as she put slyly put her hand in his.

"O-oh really?" Brock stuttered, not being used to contact with the female kind which wasn't initiated by himself.

"Yeah of course... we can't let them beat us at that though right?" Solidad said cryptically, confusing the former rock-type expert.

"... At w-what exactly?" Brock's stuttered reply gained a giggle from the pink haired co-ordinator.

"Swimming of course!" she lied and dived in, making the older man sigh as he turned to Swampert.

"Can't catch a break can we?" he said gaining a shake of the head from Swampert before they dived in with the intent of catching up to Solidad.

* * *

The trip down was rather uneventful but that was due to Misty's foresight because if they had gone down alone the few wild Sharpedo would have surely attacked them. _"Sharpedo in a lake?" _Ash wondered as the group slowly reached their destination.

"Gyarados return" Misty struggled to say with the breathing apparatus on as she returned the giant water-type which couldn't fit in the crevice unlike Buizel and Swampert. "I'll go first" Misty said as she turned her head towards Ash, gaining a slow bobbing nod from Ash as the woman-turned-man swam in, closely followed behind by the rest.

As Misty got deeper into the crevice something quite extraordinary caught her eyes and she swam towards it, leading her above water in the process. "What is this?" she gasped as she removed her breathing apparatus and stared upwards to see a large dome-like stone structure, surrounded by vertical pillars and water. "This is getting weird, how can this be under Porta Vista?" Misty wondered as Ash surfaced.

"Woah!" the man-turned-woman cried, along with Buizel and Pikachu who were equally as excited with the discovery. "M... Ash what is this?" Ash asked wisely, knowing that Solidad and Brock weren't too far behind him.

"How would I know..." Misty said as she walked forward, spying a small, blue bobbing shape on top of the nearby water. "... What is that?" she asked, pointing towards it getting a gasp from Ash.

"That's... a Phione... but what would a Phione be doing in Porta Vista?" Ash asked gaining a small chuckle from Misty.

"Same could be said for Manaphy" she said as Solidad and Brock surfaced, both giving a similar reaction to Ash and Misty in the process.

"Wow... this is beautiful" Solidad said as she practically bounced her way over to Ash's side. "Who would have thought we'd find something like this!" she said as she pointed to a nearby waterfall like decoration.

"This..." Brock whispered as he walked over to Misty. "... It looks like something I've heard of" he then said, catching Misty's attention.

"What is it?" Misty asked curiously as she spied more of the blue Pokémon, at least twenty of them, luckily she and her group hadn't been noticed yet.

"This is exactly like the place in the Princess and the Manaphy" Brock said with an almost scary-tone which instantly put Misty on edge.

"Brock... what's wrong?" Misty asked almost reluctantly.

"... If we show any acts of hostility... we may not get out of this place alive" Brock said fearfully, making Misty go pale, especially when she noticed Ash running forwards, making a beeline for one of the Phione and if Misty guessed right, she knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"_I have to stop him" _was all she could think as she darted forward, hoping to stop her stupid ex-boyfriend before it was too late.

A new discovery in the strange land of Porta Vista but will they find what they're looking for?... Less than four days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok I realised that I had completely underwhelmed my day 5 so I took some of the segments that would of been in day 4 and put them into day 5 to give it a bit more strength I guess, that is why this chapter is much shorter than expected, granted it is still a decent length.

Ok so they start finding out some of the oddities of the area, I wonder why there are so many odd things, well I don't since I know but you guys don't but I do hope you are curious perhaps.

Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I am lazy and quite frankly I couldn't force myself to do any more than I had already so I finished it today!

Also I need an answer from you guys, should I bump the rating up to M now, I'm not really sure what constitutes as M, or more so if what I am writing at times is M material.

Right now I am averaging 9.8 reviews per chapter and it's all thanks to my brilliant Anons and my awesome reviewers. Honestly with this brilliant support I feel as if I will finish this fiction by the end of the month, yes you heard right!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as usual please LEAVE A REVIEW to motivate me to continue with this awesome amount of updating.

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	9. Day Four Part Two

Change of Perspective Chapter Nine

Ok all we have officially reached the proverbial 'second half' of the fiction and I am proud to say that I got the highest review count yet for my last chapter so thank you very, very much.

One person I must note is Canon's Son, I'm not sure if he made that song up or not, either way it was a cool review and if you did make it yourself, very creative my friend, it brought a smile to my face!

Anyway, enough of my self-indulgent words... We're in Manaphy Land after all :O

Day Four Part Two

Life really was never dull around Ash, he was impulsive, rash and quite frankly idiotic and yet because it was him it was seen as endearing. However for Misty who had to cover for her ex-boyfriend on numerous occasions it was quite the chore being around him at times. "_Misty _don't you dare do what I think you're about to!" Misty shouted as she ran after the man who inhabited her body, grabbing him from behind quickly before he had the chance to launch an attack.

"Mi-Ash what are you doing!" the aspiring Pokémon master cried before his mouth was covered which confused his two Pokémon which stopped on the spot.

"Do you always have to rush into things head first?" Misty whispered into his ear, intriguing Solidad who turned to Brock for information, only getting a shake of the head in return. "Attack them and we are in big trouble" Misty then whispered as she let go of him, making him stumble forward awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked abrasively in a rare moment of calmness.

"Brock said something. Why can't you use your head... that's why Manaphy got away last time!" Misty complained angrily, making the former male pout in a very cute manner which almost knocked the woman-turned-man off-guard.

"... Sorry" Ash apologised before walking away to Solidad, making Misty feel almost guilty for being too forceful. _"It's harder to control how angry you sound than I thought" _Misty realised, after all Ash always possessed the stronger, louder voice so he always came off as the bad guy.

"Hey don't look so down you just saved us" Brock said as he walked over to Misty, alerting her to the fact that she looked depressed by doing what had to be done. "I don't think he minds anyway" Brock then whispered, making the former woman's eyes light up a little.

"Thanks"

"No problem" Brock quickly replied as he walked between Solidad and Misty so he could be heard better. "Ok this place holds some similarity to a legendary location which is supposed to be the home of the Manaphy" Brock started, catching everyone's complete attention. "Which means Ash just did the right thing in stopping you Misty" Brock said as he pointed to the former male.

"What do you mean?" Solidad asked first as if showing that she was on Ash's side.

"If we show any hostility it is said we'll be attacked relentlessly" Brock said in a grave manner which made Ash almost laugh.

"They're just Phione!" he giggled at the thought of the cute creatures attacking him, which made Brock grin almost mockingly.

"Did I say it was the Phione that would attack us?" Brock asked calmly which interested Misty greatly to the extent where she paid closer attention. "You've seen that lake, you know what lives there" Brock said with a serious expression. "Attack those Phione and we incur the ocean's wrath which includes all that dwells in it" Brock informed the former male who gulped in understanding.

"You mean... this place is connected to the ocean?" Ash asked gaining a nod.

"That's how sea water is in that lake, which means there's another exit... and of course another entrance" Brock said with a smile. "Which means if those Phione get mad..."

"They'll summon their friends pretty much?" Solidad theorised.

"No-one attacks a sanctuary without receiving any 'divine judgement' as punishment" Misty mused intelligently which made the Pokémon breeder sigh.

"Pretty much, it's good that you see the meaning of this place now" Brock complimented before smiling at Ash. "So Ash was just going that to protect you" Brock said in a purposely corny way to get a reaction from his friend.

"Aw that's cute of him" Solidad cut in making the former male blush.

"I guess" Ash said as he turned to Buizel. "Ok no battles so for now... Buizel return"

"Bui-Bui" the weasel like water typed cried before being returned to its Pokéball in a red light.

"Thanks" Ash said to his ex-girlfriend, returning to her before smiling. "So what do we do now?" he asked gaining a shrug from Misty who was now grinning, inwardly thanking Brock for his smart usage of words.

"I think we should try to negotiate with the Phione..." Brock said as he and Solidad joined Ash and Misty.

"Wait how do we do that?" Ash asked making the breeder chuckle once more, clearly proud that he had such a deep well of knowledge.

"Remember the Manaphy we met with May?" Brock asked earning a nod from the Pokémon trainer.

"Oh yeah it was a baby but it could talk some human language" Ash remarked, taking the water-Pokémon expert and the top coordinator by surprise.

"Phione are closely related to Manaphy, it wouldn't be too much of a shock if one of them could understand us and talk back right?" Misty asked unsurely.

"No it wouldn't, perhaps we can negotiate with them... though if worse comes to worse we could always capture Manaphy and run for our lives" Brock suggested in a rare case of recklessness from the breeder.

"I prefer the negotiations" the Misty said instantly, Solidad and Ash on the other hand stored the thought in their minds just in case.

"I'm glad because I really don't want to face the 'ocean's wrath'" Brock chuckled before turning to Ash. "Let's go then" he suggested and started to walk forward confidently which inspired the rest to follow his lead.

"Psst was Brock always so good in control?" Ash asked Misty who laughed at his question.

"He was always the one in control, the only thing we had control over was the destination" Misty informed Ash who had a quick flashback of all the times Brock had suggested they stop to rest, to think things through and so forth.

"Ah... I see" Ash said with an awkward smile. "Hah I always thought I was the leader" Ash said as he scratched the back of his head.

"That doesn't mean you weren't the leader you idiot" Misty said in an affectionate way which made the aspiring master smile. Solidad who witnessed this grinned before walking on ahead to stand with Brock, not wanting to intrude on her friend's moment.

"You know what I never thought you'd be the type of man who took charge" Solidad whispered in an impressed manner from Brock's side startling him greatly.

"Uh... it's not that big a deal" Brock said lamely, heart beating rapidly as he felt Solidad slip her hand into his and giggle. _"I'm going to die from witnessing heaven" _Brock thought as he looked down at their joined hands, luckily for him he didn't die, he did become a little light headed though.

As the duo behind them saw this they smiled, Brock was like an older brother to both of them and an invaluable ally so it was nice to see something going well for him. "So shall I say 'can I have Manaphy?'" Ash asked from behind, something which Brock was grateful for because he couldn't find anything to say which made the silence almost suffocating.

"I don't think that's the smartest way to go about things to be honest" Brock said as they finally made it within ten metres of a Phione. "Let's just take things slow" he suggested as he let go of Solidad's hand reluctantly and walked up to a Phione, scaring it.

"Phii!" it cried but before it ran Brock knelt down and smiled at it, easing its nerves almost instantly.

"It's ok" Brock said as Misty and Ash caught up to Solidad who stared at Brock in awe. "My friends and I won't hurt you" Brock said as he gestured to the trio, when Phione looked over they all waved to show goodwill.

"Phi?" it asked as it tilted its blue head, swishing its singular antenna to the side as it approached Brock cautiously, who offered his hand to the small variation of their target Manaphy.

"That's right, see we're harmless" Brock said as the Phione rubbed its head against his hand which made Ash and Misty fist pump.

"You can always count on Brock to do this sort of thing" Ash said happily as he walked up to the Phione which didn't seem as scared as before. "Hey there" Ash said with his soft feminine tone, kneeling down offering his hand, which Phione went to instantly.

"Phii!" it cried happily, louder than before which made five others pop out of the water and swim over to the group.

"Wow that's amazing" Misty said dreamily, even now her love for water-types had no compare. "Let me touch one" she then said childishly, making Ash giggle, usually she was the mature one after all. "Aw so cute" Misty then cooed as a Phione rubbed its head against her now strong hand.

As this went on Brock stopped stroking one of the Phione and looked down kindly. "Can any of you speak like me?" he asked it gaining a quick, excited nod from the childish Pokémon. "Can you take us to him?" Brock requested gaining a shrill cry of excitement.

"Alright" Misty and Ash said in celebration as 'Brock's' Phione started swimming away slowly, gesturing them to follow.

"I guess we have no choice" Solidad said in a disappointed manner, wanting to stay around the cute little Phione for a little longer.

"Don't be like that Sol" Ash said as he followed after the 'fleeing' Phione which was heading in the direction of the large dome like structure.

"Hey they're cute Mist you can't deny that!" Solidad said defensively as she looked down on the Phione sadly before running after her friends who were now much further ahead of her.

"Yeah I guess so" Ash shouted back as he reached the staircase of the dome structure and stopped, mainly because the Phione had as well.

"Phii, Phii!" it cried as Solidad caught up and put a hand on her hip.

"It's so cute" she sighed, making Ash giggle and Misty nod her head in complete agreement.

"Are they inside this building?" Brock asked since the rest of the group seemed to be distracted by the water-type's cuteness. _"Am I the only person taking this seriously?" _Brock thought exasperatedly as the Pokémon nodded and ascended the stairs before running into the building, leaving behind the four trainers.

"Well I guess we should follow" Ash said as he started walking up the stairs.

"Wait a second Misty" Misty ordered, stopping the aspiring master instantly. "Remember to let Brock or myself do the talking ok?" she asked the man-turned-woman who blushed from embarrassment, this only served to make everyone laugh, even Solidad.

"Fine" Ash conceded, stepping a few steps back so the two 'speakers' could walk past him. "I could easily do it too" he mumbled, knowing all too well that it wasn't the case, knowing that if he spoke he'd probably demand to fight Manaphy or something... which wouldn't end well.

"Yeah uh-huh" Brock and Misty said in unison as they reached the top of the steps, entering the building before Ash and Solidad.

"Why must they always say stuff like that?" Ash practically growled, making Solidad laugh.

"Because they know you can take it" she said as she skipped up the stairs and entered the building, leaving Ash behind.

"... Hey wait up!" he cried when he realised that they had in fact ditched him even if it wasn't their intention before running up the stairs as quickly as he could. _"I hope this goes well" _he then had one last thought before running inside.

* * *

If the exterior was beautiful then the interior was something between gorgeous and jaw-droppingly awesome. Pools of sparkling water filled large sections of the a stone pathway, the walls bore engravings of a silky smooth design, some of which resembled hieroglyphics often found in ancient ruins, yet instead of them being gruff they were elegantly carved as if a master craftsman had chiselled them in.

"Woah" Ash said as he entered the building, having missed his friend's similar reactions. "This place... how can it only be inhabited by Pokémon?" Ash mused out loud as he ran to his friend's sides.

"Misty... this place was built to honour the Manaphy" Brock said as he stared down on Phione who almost glared at the mention of the word 'Manaphy'.

"But there's none of them here... pretty useless shrine if you ask me" Ash said quietly so the Phione couldn't hear him.

"Well I'm guessing the rise in sea-water temperature over the last 500 years had a play in that" Misty said wisely as she looked up to the ceiling which had a large carving of a Manaphy etched into its pure stone surface.

"Oh yeah I did tell you about Manaphy and Phione" Ash mused, impressed that Misty remembered the conditions of Manaphy's breeding.

"I'm guessing with the rise in temperature the Manaphy gradually became Phione over time" Brock theorised from Misty's comment. "Which begs the question... how is there a Manaphy here?" he said as the Phione came to a stop in front of a larger, older looking Phione.

"Phii!" it cried pointing to the larger Phione, signalling that it was the one they had to talk to.

"...Hello..." the Phione said very slowly in a high pitched tone though it didn't come as a surprise because they'd all seen a talking Pokémon at one point.

"Hi..." Brock said as he approached the larger than the norm Phione. "My friends and I have come to ask you about something" Brock said unsurely as he turned to the group who nodded their agreement. "Erm... can we meet with the Manaphy that lives here?" Brock asked, gaining a strange growl instantly from the older Phione.

"Why...must...you...see...him?" the Phione asked almost angrily despite its slow manner of speaking.

"..." Brock sighed and walked up to the Phione and whispered in his ear.

"Ah...I...see" the Phione said which made Ash and Misty's eyes light up. "No" it then said taking them by surprised.

"Why?" Ash screamed from behind before being silenced by Misty instantly.

"That...Manaphy...Has...Brought...Bad...Luck...Since...Arriving...Here" it said in a solemn tone. "We...Will...Not...Allow...It...To...Leave...Us...After...Alll...Its...Done" it said spitefully, confusing those present.

"We won't take Manaphy, we just have to speak with it, please?" Brock asked but the Phione shook its head.

"No...Means...No" it said strongly.

"No way!" Ash cried as he turned to Pikachu. "Let us see him!" he cried only for Misty to shove a hand over his mouth.

"No"

"Grrr" Ash growled within Misty's grasp, confusing Solidad, after all she didn't know the full story.

"Hey you two" Solidad whispered as Brock continued to try and negotiate with the strange Phione. "I'm not sure what's going on... but why not wait for Manaphy to return and do the crazy plan?" she asked with an almost excited tone which frightened Misty more than it did Ash.

"I am not facing the 'Ocean's wrath'" Misty said instantly as Ash broke away from her grip.

"I'll do it" Ash then declared as he looked over to Brock and the Phione. "We get that you can't let us see it, but would you mind us spending some time here?" Ash shouted over to the Phione which turned to him and shook his head.

"That...Would...Be...Fine" it said, bringing a grin to the future master's face.

"This is going to be great" Ash said with excitement as Brock stared at him with a confused expression. "Come here Brock, let's have a nice little talk outside" Ash said to Brock who gave him a dubious expression before turning to the Phione to bid it his goodbyes.

"Misty what on earth are you thinking?" Brock asked as he made his way over to them but received no answer as Ash made his way out of the building. This action signalled that everyone was to follow, Solidad witnessing this merely giggled before following with the rest of her friends.

Once outside Brock stared at Ash who was wearing his signature confident grin which looked strange on Misty's face but he ignored it. "What was that Misty?" the former breeder asked gaining a shrug from the aspiring master.

"Sol and I have decided" Ash merely said, which made Brock's head turn from Ash to Solidad who smiled mischievously at him. "Negotiation isn't going to work" Ash said what Brock didn't want to, Misty knew this too of course but she didn't want to say it either.

"Mist... we'll find a way to-" Brock started but he was cut off by Ash.

"It doesn't matter... we've decided" Ash said as he turned to the entrance of the underwater chamber. "We're going to capture Manaphy whether those Phione like it or not" he said confidently, turning around to look at his friends with a determination in his eyes which had been missing of late.

"..." Misty sighed, knowing she couldn't stop her ex-boyfriend no matter what now.

"But Mist... that means" Brock said almost fearfully, after all he'd read the book unlike the rest of them.

"Yeah" Ash grinned almost excitedly. "We're going to have one hell of a battle on our hands" he said as he turned to Pikachu "and it's going to be fun."

All out of options the group decide force is the answer... less than four days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

I've passed this year of University I got the results through a few hours ago, isn't that great? I went mental myself but hey who cares... anyyway

First of all I am sorry this chapter is shorter than the rest, that is because I didn't want to overflow with the battle and the after battle scenes which are present on Day Four, I'll also say that I haven't completely written out all the 'choreography' for the battle yet but I do know it's going to involve a hella lot of Water Pokémon and some happy Ash... yay!

Solidad is quite the mischief maker in this isn't she, ha it's the 'girls' calling the violent shots it seems, mainly because Brock knows what could happen and Misty knows the ferociousness of water-types but hey with a top-coordinator a former gym leader a water specialist and an Indigo League Victor I think they can just scrape themselves out.

I must say all these reviews are absolutely brilliant for motivation and I am over half way to my goal so that is really really awesome! Lol.

Just one small thing, I think most of you misunderstood my question, I wasn't asking if I should start writing M material, I was wondering if my material was still within the boundary of T rating, strangely enough it's been years since I wrote a proper M fiction so I wouldn't know.

As usual I hope you enjoyed and that you can LEAVE A REVIEW to continue to inspire me to write these words for you, it does sap away my free time.

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	10. Day Four Part Three

Change of Perspective Chapter Ten

So I'm close to 100 reviews... and close to this becoming the highest reviewed fanfiction I've received on _this _account so yay, thank you very much for that.

Well I ended last chapter on a cliffhanger so I guess I'll get right to it... Happy Phione Fighting 0_o

Day Four Part Three

They'd decided to fight, well no that wasn't right. _Two _of them had decided to fight and the others realised they had no choice but to go along with it, even if it was against their better judgement. "Mist... are you sure about this, I've read the book and well people die, granted they were bad guys but still..." Brock said in an attempt to dissuade his long time friend.

"Brock where's your fighting spirit?" Solidad asked instantly before Ash responded, making the former breeder sigh, knowing all too well that his manly pride wouldn't let him look like a coward in front of her.

"I'd still rather not die" Misty answered for Brock as she stared down her ex-boyfriend. _"Just what is going on in that head of his?" _she thought as she observed her former body sitting on a fairly large rock near the entrance.

"Aw we won't die" Ash said as his eyes stayed focused on the entrance, poised to attack when Manaphy appeared. "We just might get a few broken bones" Ash said as he turned to his friends with a serious look on his face. "...What?" Ash asked when he saw Misty and Brock staring at him with slack jaws.

"Aren't you even remotely afraid of this?" Misty asked as she observed her former body, sensing a strange enthusiasm emanating from it. _"Of course he isn't its Ash remember, he just loves to battle... but that doesn't seem to be the only thing on his mind" _she thought as she turned to Solidad who also seemed to be excited.

"A little... but this is worth the risk" Ash said as he looked at Pikachu, somehow giving him commands with mere contact, their bond was just that strong.

"Ash I think we should just quit and get prepared, it's not like we can just abandon them here and they aren't going to give this one up" Brock said as he looked at Solidad. "Right?" he asked gaining a nod from the pink haired woman.

"Gee we sure can count on you" Misty said sarcastically as she thumbed Gyarados' Pokéball. _"Gyarados wouldn't be a smart move in an area where rocks are bound to fall from the ceiling" _Misty thought as she turned to the dome shaped building. "Hey Brock you mentioned another exit right?" Misty asked getting a nod from the older male.

"It's behind a waterfall in the sanctuary, apparently it leads right out to sea" Brock said as he stared at the Phione frolicking in the water. "Or so the story says anyway" Brock said awkwardly as he inspected his Pokéballs, thinking of who he should call out when the time came. "I'd say the second the water Pokémon start appearing we should head for the exit and slow down the horde" Brock said logically.

"Where do the Pokémon come from anyway?" Misty asked gaining a shrug from Brock which she assumed meant 'I don't know' however this wasn't the case.

"Everywhere" was all Brock said, after all the story was quite ambiguous, but one thing was certain they appeared everywhere. "Usually I'd suggest we stuck together as a unit but there's a high chance Manaphy will run, it's a legendary Pokémon after all" Brock said as he turned to Ash who was kicking his legs back and forth.

"For that reason we should have one group deal with pursuing Pokémon and one group pushing forward after Manaphy" Brock said, gaining a nod from Misty. "I guess you already know what jobs yours?" Brock said with a smile which made the former woman laugh.

"Make sure Misty doesn't get herself killed?" she asked gaining a nod from Brock. "So I'll be chasing after Manaphy and you guys will..."

"We'll be attacking pursuers, if you do your job and get rid of anything in front of us we can stop anything coming at you from behind" Brock said as Solidad listened in, completely fine with what was happening, after all it'd be some great training for contest battles and well she had _something else _on her mind which Ash seemed to share.

"The main difficulty though will be..." Misty said as she turned to Ash who still wasn't really listening.

"If Misty ends up doing something stupid" Brock said with a loud sigh because let's be honest, there was a large chance that would happen.

* * *

Time passed slowly in the underground cavern, the wait was tense but to some degree the two sensible members of the group were grateful for it. "My team's ready" Brock said as he pulled out three Pokéballs and thumbed a fourth.

"Well I've only got Gyarados... I won't use him unless I need to" Misty said as she looked over to Ash who was now talking with Solidad. "Why do we always get dragged into these crazy things?" Misty had to ask Brock before the mania began.

"Part and parcel of being Ash's friends probably" Brock grinned. "Just remember Ash will most probably succeed with catching Manaphy, if anyone can it'll be him" Brock said confidently "our job is to get us out alive" Brock then told Misty.

"What about Solidad?"

"She'll be fine, in fact she's the one I'm least worried for" Brock said with upmost confidence in the woman's abilities. "She has the strongest overall team with her, though you and Ash have Gyarados and Pikachu respectively" Brock revealed to his long-time friend, knowing that Solidad possessed a full-team of Pokémon on her person.

"Well that's a positive I guess" Misty said as she looked at the stairs leading up to the dome structure. "I'll get in position, Manaphy should be back any minute now" Misty said, earning a nod from her friend.

"Good luck" he said with a smile.

"You too" she echoed his sentiments before walking away, rather uneasily but thanks to Brock she had a little more confidence.

"Ok, Solidad, Misty come over here" Brock called to the two 'crazy' member of their group, both of which walked over instantly.

"It's almost time" Brock said as the two friends turned to each other in confusion.

"How do you know?" Ash asked, making the breeder laugh.

"Can't you hear the water?" Brock asked which just confused them more. "It sounds like high-tide... which means the time is near" Brock sighed.

"Wow that's quite smart" Ash said as he affixed his vision to the entrance again.

"Remember the plan?" Brock asked, gaining a nod from the indigo victor.

"Pretty much" Ash said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Good, then get into position" Brock ordered and with a nod of the head both of them agreed and got ready for the fight of their lives.

* * *

"Mana" the prince of the sea cried as it swam into the crevice which led to its home of the last few years. The Pokémon didn't know why it returned back there everyday especially with all the abuse it had to put up with, it just did.

"Mana-Manaphy" it cried once more, thoughts of the previous night where it had been attacked by the very beings it was trying to help and yet, even now it didn't hold any grudge, believing that they were nice people.

Unfortunately this faith was going to be tested once more.

As Manaphy came ashore it walked, or more so slid forward only to see a sight it wasn't expecting, it was them, the people he had tried to help but what were they doing it wondered, especially when he heard the leader of the group cry out to its companions.

"He's here!" was all it heard as a thunderbolt flew towards him.

(Scene Change)

A furious thunderbolt flew towards the prince of the sea, unfortunately for the group even when taken by surprise Manaphy was a swift target, dodging the electric attack by a mere inch.

"Mana Manaphy!" it cried out in fear, aiming to turn tail, fleeing back to where it came but it was too late.

"I'm sorry Manaphy but we need you" Ash said as he pointed towards the entrance. "Pikachu use thunderbolt to seal the exit!" Ash roared as he pointed to the top of the crevice, startling all the Phione in the area in the process.

"PHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" they all cried in a sharp pitch, making the oldest male grunt loudly, it was coming, the so called wrath of the ocean. Luckily for them one of many exits which could be used as an entrance was sealed, more importantly it was the one Manaphy had tried to escape from.

"Mana-Mana Man" it cried as Ash stared down on it, ignoring the cry of the Phione, the tears which would summon the wrath of the sea.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt again!" Ash ordered without any hesitance, but this time Manaphy was prepared, diving into the water and swimming up the stream in an instant, disappearing from sight. "Woah that's fast!" Ash remarked as the room started to shake violently, causing him to stumble a little before regaining his balance.

"Call out your Pokémon!" Brock shouted as he pulled his Pokéballs out. "Swampert, Croagunk, Chansey come on out!" Brock shouted as he threw his Pokéballs to the ground. "Misty, Ash both of you head for the temple, we may not be able to see Manaphy but we know where he's heading!" Brock shouted to his long time friends.

"Right!" Ash shouted as he ran to Misty and ascended the stairs with her, turning back at the last second to see water breaking through the rockface, sending large boulders tumbling to the ground, in the water were what could only be described as a 'swarm' of Sharpedo. "Mist should we really leave them?" Ash asked in a moment of doubt as Solidad released her Pokémon.

"Idiot they'll be fine!" Misty told him with as much confidence as she could muster as a blue blur flew past them. "After it!" Misty called out in a tone of determination, she wasn't going to risk her life for nothing, they were going to catch that legendary Pokémon.

"Buizel, Totodile, Oshawott I choose you!" Ash roared, throwing his Pokéballs through the entrance as he sprinted through it himself, leaving behind the breeder and the coordinator who glared down their opponents, ready for the fight of their lives.

* * *

The swarm was seemingly endless to the former breeder, well the threat level was. As he looked in front of him he could count at least fifteen Sharpedo, all baring their voracious fangs angrily, poised to attack those who violated the law of the sanctum.

"Chansey use Egg Bomb between the Sharpedo then Swampert you follow up with Muddy Water. Croagunk your job is to guard the front and attack any Sharpedo that break through with Brick Break!" Brock ordered, gaining an instant response from his Pokémon.

First of all Chansey threw her egg between the Sharpedo, scattering them as they were ejected from the water by the powerful blast. This left them stranded as Swampert's torrent of Muddy Water crashed into them, throwing them into the rock walls violently, stunning them in the process.

Meanwhile as this occurred, Solidad ordered her Lapras to use Hydro Pump on the falling rocks that threatened to crush them whilst attempting to redirect them at the enemy. "Keep them at bay, Arcanine I know you don't like water but use roar to cancel out Phione's cries!" Solidad ordered, completely understanding what was summoning the first wave of Pokémon.

"Arcaniiiiine!" the Pokémon howled, frightening a few Phione into flinching which only halved the amount of noise the Phione made.

"Now use flamethrower on them!" Solidad ordered as she turned around witness a small 'explosion' of electricity at the top of the stairs, clearly Ash and Misty were already in combat. "Brock let's fall back a little" Solidad suggested gaining a small grunt of approval from Brock as he concentrated completely on what was in front of him.

"Swampert, Chansey, Croagunk walk backwards but continue with what I've ordered" Brock said as a few Poliwrath climbed out of the stream of water, taking him by surprise. "Use Muddy Water again Swampert!" Brock ordered, summoning another torrent of water, but before it made contact it was blown away by five fists each belonging to an individual Poliwrath.

"Chansey avoid them, Croagunk use Poison Sting to cover Chansey!" Brock ordered as he walked backwards, edging his way closer to the entrance.

"Gardevoir, Slowbro come on out!" Solidad summoned her two psychic types in response to Brock's plan. "Slowbro use Confusion on the Poliwrath and Gardevoir use psychic on the rocks, try flinging them at the enemy if you can!" Solidad ordered almost coldly as the Poliwrath came to a standstill, leaving them vulnerable to the poisonous barbs Croagunk was unleashing on them.

"Good work Solidad!" Brock complimented as a few Poliwrath collapsed however they weren't out of the woods yet. This was made all too clear as Mantine flew through one of the openings and dive bombed towards Solidad. Brock seeing this knew that Solidad was in some real danger since she was preoccupied with her own Pokémon so he decided to play the role of hero for once. "Watch out!" Brock shouted as he dived at Solidad, dragging her to the floor, making her narrowly avoid a potentially hazardous wound from the Mantine.

"Ouch" Solidad winced, looking up to see Brock staring down the flying Mantine angrily, as if he really wanted to hurt something, it wasn't an expression she'd ever seen on his face and she'd known him for a long time. "Thanks" she said gratefully as she got to her feet and looked around to see that they were pretty much surrounded.

"Don't worry about it" Brock said quickly too busy tracking the Mantine with his eyes whilst mentally keeping check on his Pokémon. "We have to get inside, this place is going to be impossible to guard for much longer" Brock said gaining a nod of recognition from Solidad.

"Right" Solidad agreed without saying any needless words. "Everyone fall back" she commanded her Pokémon all of which obeyed dutifully, shifting back warily as they stared down their opponents. "Lapras use Sheer Cold!" she then ordered.

"Laaaaaaaaa" the transport Pokémon cried as it's body glowed a bright, white blinding light.

"Everyone return!" Brock cried abruptly as did Solidad before turning tail and running towards the steps as the ground around them began to freeze, which spread out continuously without end, turning everything it touched into freezing cold ice just as they planned during their long wait.

"Praaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaass!" it continued to roar as the Pokémon around her dived inwards, becoming rooted to the spot instantly by the powerful Ice-Type move.

"Great idea freezing the water that clung on their bodies Solidad" Brock complimented as he sighed with relief before sprinting up the stairs, turning around to see the water had been completely frozen over from Laparas' assult. "Nothing is getting out of there any time soon" Brock said as Solidad held her Pokéball up.

"Great work Lapras, return" she said softly, returning Lapras to its Pokéball from a distance. "It's not over yet though..." Solidad sighed tiredly as she stared at the Pokémon swarm which seemed to be attempting to break free from their ice prison. "That won't hold them for too long I'm afraid" Solidad said disappointedly, wondering what move she should take when they did break out.

"Get inside I have a plan" Brock said with a no-nonsense tone as he ushered the woman inside with his arm where he witnessed a quite shocking sight. "Woah" was all the former breeder could say as he spied the floating burnt bodies of at least twenty Tentacool and Tentacruel.

"They sure don't waste time do they" Solidad whistled, clearly impressed as she took sight of Ash and Misty's 'wreckage'.

"Nor do we" Brock replied, grinning as he pulled out his fourth Pokéball. "Go Forretress!" Brock called out as the first Pokémon in the swarm broke free and attempted to make its way over to them, only to slip on the frozen ground.

"Fooorrretress" the steel/bug type Pokémon roared as Brock grinned almost maniacally.

"Solidad I recommend getting back" Brock shouted as he too fled backwards. "Use explosion!" he then shouted to his Pokémon which began to glow in an instant. "We're going to blow this joint" Brock said in an attempt to be cool as rays of light burst off the Pokémon.

"This isn't time for bad puns Brock" Solidad giggled as she covered her ears, shielding them for what was bound to come.

*BOOOOM* an explosion engulfed the entrance, completely obliterating a few statues which stood dutifully by its side, causing them to tumble to the floor, breaking into multiple pieces as they sealed off the doorway.

"Forretress return" Brock commanded, returning the 'sacrificial' Pokémon to its Pokéball as he guarded his eyes from a small dust cloud. "Good work pal" he said as he put the Pokéball inside his pocket.

"Where now?" Solidad asked as she looked side to side.

"Follow the path of destruction" Brock said as he pointed Croagunk's Pokéball to the left side of the gangway. "That way" he deduced, throwing his Pokéball towards it before following with Solidad in quick pursuit.

* * *

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" the electric type roared as it swatted down yet another Phione, which was all they were encountering now.

"Ash calm down you'll need Pikachu for Manaphy!" Misty scolded him as she ran by his side, looking down at some of the fallen Pokémon with regret in her brown eyes.

"Oh yeah" Ash said dopily. "Pikachu rest on my shoulder buddy, Buizel, Oshawott, Totodile continue as you have been" he told his loyal Pokémon, all of which roared in agreement to their master's wishes.

As the duo ran through the halls they looked side to side as if to guess where to go next. "Left" Misty said instantly and since she'd been right so far Ash decided to go with his ex's instincts.

"Manaaa!" the Pokémon they were pursuing cried from the end of the hall before going right into another room.

"How fast is that Pokémon?"Ash said in exhaustion as he tried to keep up with his former body which was several paces fast than his current one.

"It's slowing down at least" Misty said before grinding to a halt. "Woah stop Ash!" Misty cried, holding her arm out which Ash grabbed hold of instantly when he saw what was in front.

"Omanyte... Omastar... aren't those extinct?" Ash asked as he stared at around four Omanyte and a larger than the norm Omastar.

"Well it's in front of us now so I don't think we should really rely on that logic" Misty sarcastically remarked as she stepped back a bit, it wasn't that she was afraid it was just that she didn't want to use her Gyarados yet.

"I've got this" Ash said as he stepped forward confidently. "Totodile, Oshawott use Hydro Pump on the Omanyte and Buizel use Aqua Jet on Omastar!" he ordered his Pokémon as high pressure streams of water ploughed into the ancient Pokémon which were part rock.

"Omaaa!" the Omanyte cried, a few of their shells cracking from the force of the blow, as this happened Buizel crashed right into Omastar before screaming out in pain.

"W-what happened?" Ash stuttered as Buizel reeled backwards and crashed to the floor, blood gushing out of its arms.

"Ash recall it quickly" Misty cried as Buizel struggled to get to its feet, shaking from shock.

"But..."

"Buizel was stabbed by the spikes on Omastar's shell, only use range attacks" Misty said, making the Indigo league victor nod as he returned his Pokémon.

"Sorry I let you down buddy" Ash apologised as he stared down the only remaining Pokémon. "Oshawott, Totodile you aren't going to let your friend's effort go to waste are you?" Ash asked in an attempt to rally their spirits.

"Osshhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Oshawott roared, body glowing bright white.

"Totoooooooooo" the crocodile like Pokémon roared in a similar manner, also glowing bright white.

"What the?" Ash said in disbelief as the two Pokémon in front of him began to morph.

"Double evolution?" Misty queried dubiously, such an occurrence was rare but not unheard of. _"It must of been from all the battling" _Misty thought, because whilst it was true that Pikachu had done a lot of work, so had Oshawott and Totodile.

"Well at least something's going our way" Ash remarked as he slid Buizel's Pokéball into the holster on his hip and watched as his Pokémon finished transforming.

"Croconaw!" the newly evolved Totodile roared, now standing at a much more impressive height, baring razor like fangs and a spiky red main.

"Dew-ott!" the newly evolved Oshawott cried, a sharp look in its eyes as it stared down Omastar.

"Double Hydro Pump!" Ash ordered instantly as he pointed at the Omastar, something which the twin water-Pokémon obeyed, sending an even more powerful jet of water Omastar's way, allowing it to meet a similar fate as its pre-evolved form.

"Woah that's amazing" Misty awed at the strength the two Pokémon displayed.

"You're telling me" Ash said in similar disbelief as the two Pokémon turned to him. "Good work you two now let's get going!" Ash said gaining a nod from his new Pokémon before running where Manaphy had fled too.

"Hey Ash doesn't it feel like Manaphy is baiting us?" Misty asked as they broke out into another sprint only to receive a shrug.

"Either way we'll catch it, that's all that matter right now" Ash said confidently as they entered a room which took his breath away.

"That's so beautiful" Misty sighed as she looked up to see a massive waterfall which feel from the ceiling, in front of that was a pool of cerulean blue water which was as large as the swimming pool back at her gym, however unlike her pool this one had a giant statue of a Manaphy in its centre.

"Hey Mist... you said that it was luring us... I think you were right" Ash said as he directed his vision to the water to see the shadow of an extremely large creature.

"Hm?" Misty mumbled as she looked down, but unlike Ash she smiled, this was a great opportunity for her. "Go behind the waterfall... I'm guessing Manaphy is there" Misty said as the creature from the water burst out, revealing its beautiful form.

Multicoloured fins, glistening from the sheen of both the water and its natural coat, Milotic stood in all its glory before them, not impressed that they'd violated the sanctum.

"Milooooooooo!" it cried, though it sounded more like a heavenly song to Misty's ears.

"I'll use Gyarados to distract it, I'm going to capture that Milotic, you go on and get Manaphy" Misty commanded with a strong deep tone, one which Ash couldn't say no to.

"Ok, be safe" Ash agreed as he ran down the side of the pool in an instant, only for the giant serpent to rear its head his way. "Oh crap" Ash practically screamed as Pikachu's cheeks crackled, ready to attack on command but it was needless.

"Go Gyarados!" Misty summoned her most powerful creature into the water. "Use crunch on Milotic!" she then ordered without wasting any time at all, she needed to get Milotic away from Ash.

"GYAAARRRRAAA!" the Pokémon roared seizing Milotic's attention as it flew forward savagely, crunching down on the Pokémon dubbed the most beautiful in existence, drawing blood from it as it used its humongous strength to drag Milotic under the water.

"Now's your chance Ash" Misty said, eyes focused on the water which showed the image of the two serpents practically dancing, when in reality one of them was fighting for its life whilst the other was mercilessly trying to kill it, Gyarados was quite temperamental like that.

"Thanks" was Ash's only reply as he sprinted up the poolside and dived into the water, ignoring the flailing tails the best he could as he swam through the waterfall which wasn't as powerful as he'd imagined.

"Mana" a weak cry reached Ash's ears.

"Found you" Ash said as he looked up to spot the legendary prince of the sea, cowering at the back of the room as roars of Milotic and Gyarados reverberated through the small hidden chamber. "Manaphy..." Ash said as he walked forward a few paces, wondering why Manaphy wasn't trying to escape through the 'secret exit' Brock mentioned.

"Mana Mana Mana" it begged, as if it was asking for him not to attack.

"... Hey... Manaphy" Ash said with a sympathetic tone. "If you had just returned us back to our bodies I wouldn't have had to go through all this" Ash said as he stopped and sat down in front of the Pokémon to show he meant it no genuine harm.

"Mana?" Manaphy questioned as it used its unrivalled sensitivity to read his heart, discovering that Ash was telling no lies.

"I saw those Phione, they really don't like you do they?" Ash asked as the chamber shook a little, probably from the battle going on outside.

"Mana" Manaphy whimpered, shaking his head side to side, clearly upset by it.

"After seeing that I decided" Ash said as he got to his feet and looked down on Manaphy. "I was going to take you away from them, I had a feeling they've been doing bad things to you... am I right?" Ash asked as Manaphy looked up and read his heart once more, almost busting into tears when it realised Ash was telling the truth.

"So Manaphy... I know this is a little much to ask but... can we battle?" Ash asked the Pokémon as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder. "If I win I'll take you away from this life" Ash said confidently "what do you say?" Ash asked the Manaphy which began to shake as it got to its feet, wiping away its tears as it did so.

"Mana!" it cried with determination, accepting his challenge.

"Great, here I come"

His motives revealed, he wishes to save Manaphy too but what will happen?... Less than four days remain.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Holy crap I wasn't expecting to update today. I am afraid this is a rather poor chapter by my standards, but hey maybe you might think differently. We see that Ash's anger and enthusiasm wasn't just because he wanted his body back, but because he too is quite perceptive, or perhaps it was woman's intuition, Solidad came to the same conclusion after all.

Will he catch Manaphy, will he return to his body and what of Hunter J's presence which has yet to be made completely relevant?

Well you'll have to keep reading for that, all I can say is the battles later on in the fiction will be much more intense... this one is rather lacklustre in comparison to the one that I have planned later on... so yeah there will be another battle.

Oh just to let you guys know I ordered Platinum finally, it should be here tomorrow and thus I probably won't update tomorrow but hey you can always hope I guess.

As usual I hope you enjoyed and that you can LEAVE A REVIEW to assist me in getting 150+ reviews, oh and I'd absolutely love if you can get me to 100 reviews with this chapter, only 10 to go, but hey I'd appreciate getting me to 103 so it's the highest fiction I have on this account.

Happy Manaphy Hunting and Phione Fighting!

-Aquilon


	11. Day Four Part Four

Change of Perspective Chapter Eleven

101 reviews 0_O I am shocked, I never thought this fiction would ever hit such a lofty goal, granted I've never really rated my own writing as anything great. Still I thank you, there is only forty-nine reviews to go until I reach my goal and at this rate it is very plausible.

Flint Fire gets a nod for being the 100th reviewer lol.

I must apologise due to the slight lateness, even if it's still a relatively quick update since most people update weekly, I've been busy with doctor's appointments and Platinum arrived today.

Anyway let's get on with the show.

Day Four Part Four

The atmosphere was so tense that it was almost palpable as Ash stared down Manaphy who had gained the resolve to fight him. It wasn't like he had never fought legends in the past, in fact he'd triumphed many times over those who were said to hold strength beyond that of a normal Pokémon.

The real tension revolved around his frame of mind, he needed to catch Manaphy. _"I just want to return to normal" _Ash thought as he clenched his hand tightly _"and I also want to save you" _he thought in regards to the Manaphy in front of him.

"Ok let's do this" Ash declared, holding his arm out towards Manaphy. "Pikachu use quick attack on Manaphy!" Ash ordered with his usual strategy which was to overwhelm an opponent with speed to dictate the rhythm of the battle.

"Pika!" the electric mouse screamed, zipping forward at lightning pace, dashing straight towards the prince of the sea which just stared at him before dodging to the side at the last moment, firing off a vicious stream of bubbles at Pikachu's unguarded back.

"Pikaa!" the electric mouse cried painfully as he was sent flying into a small stone pillar, clearly surprised by Manaphy's pace, yet despite this pain it was nothing to Pikachu who got back to his feet and faced his opponent once more.

"Manaphy you're fast alright" Ash complimented in a confident manner, happy that he was going to have another Pokémon which suited his style. "But that wasn't Pikachu's full speed" Ash said as he looked around the room to see anything he could exploit.

"Pikachu use quick attack again" Ash ordered, gaining an instant response as Pikachu darted towards Manaphy who stared him down much like last time. "Now spin and use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered at the last moment, just as Manaphy slid to the side and fired off another stream of bubbles which were shot down by Pikachu's attack, but it wasn't over because with the accumulated speed from the spin Pikachu managed to do one more revolution and land his first hit on Manaphy with his tail which could shatter even the strongest of rocks.

"Manaaaa!" Manaphy cried out as he bounced off the floor and back into a standing position.

"_He's not used to taking hits" _Ash thought as he stared at Manaphy who was showing quite a few signs of pain. _"Which means if I can hit him with a strong attack this will be over" _Ash thought as a smile reached his feminine face.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt on the pillar behind Manaphy!" Ash ordered abruptly, confusing the prince of the sea which turned around to witness the stone pillar behind it crumble. "Now quick attack whilst he's distracted!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he darted towards Manaphy who's back was turned.

"_Any second now"_ Ash thought as Pikachu was mere inches from sealing it, however that opinion changed in an instant when Manaphy disappeared right before his eyes. "What in the world?" Ash said in confusion as Pikachu stopped at looked around.

"Mana-" a cry caught both of their ears as Manaphy materialised behind the electric mouse with a smile on its face as a blue spherical orb formed in front of its flippers. "Phyyyyyyyyy!" it screamed, unleashing a violent, pulsing water into Pikachu's back, knocking the wind out of him as he slid face first across the wet floor painfully.

"How did it?" Ash wondered until the memory of Misty's Vaporeon surfaced in his mind. _"Acid Armour plus Manaphy's ability to meld with water" _Ash thought as he looked down at the wet surface of the hidden chamber. "Ah I see, you're stronger than I was expecting Manaphy" Ash complimented the legendary Pokémon which almost gleamed at his praise.

"Pikachu we're going to have to be more careful buddy" Ash said as Pikachu got back to his feet and cried out with determination, ready to follow whatever order Ash had in mind.

"So in knowing that... use quick attack again!"

* * *

"GYARA!" Gyarados roared as he dragged Milotic back above water, flailing his head side to side before releasing his grip purposefully so Milotic would be sent flying into the wall.

"Milooooooo!" the beautiful Milotic roared back, no satisfied or impressed by Gyarados' savage assault as its body glowed a fluorescent gold which seemingly sealed up the bite wounds on its body.

"Damn it knows Recover" Misty grunted as she stared at the scene. Gyarados was stationary in the water, glaring down its prey from a distance as it extended its body as much as it could in an attempt to become even more intimidating.

In contrast to this Milotic was calm, relaxed and pretty much lax as it slowly extended its serpentine body to match Gyarados' height, swishing its multicoloured tail around in the process to install its sense of elegance on its foes. _"Milotic would be perfect on my team" _Misty thought excitedly as the Milotic slivered forward slowly, something that she kept her eyes on warily.

"Gyarados use Aqua Tail and swing it in the water" Misty ordered as she stepped back, knowing full well how powerful her Gyarados was and what kind of damage it could inflict.

"Gyara!" Gyarados hissed, readily swinging its tail to create a pressurised wave in the pool which headed straight towards Milotic.

"Milo!" Milotic practically sung with its melodious voice, creating a barrier in front of itself in the nick of time, completely nullifying Misty's improvised attack. "Milo" it then taunted as if baiting the giant blue sea-serpent to attack.

"_Not good, this Milotic is defensive based" _Misty thought almost worriedly but she trusted Gyarados and besides it would be good to have Gyarados' complete opposite on her team. "Gyarados use Crunch again!"

"Gyaaa" Gyarados cried gratefully, springing out of the water quickly with malicious intent as it darted towards it's prey.

"Mi" Milotic almost laughed at Gyarados' predictability as it twisted it's serpentine body out of the way of Gyarados' assault which damaged the sanctums walls, causing water to spill out of the cracks made by Gyarados' fangs.

"Miloooooo!" Milotic then roared as it wrapped its body around Gyarados' and utilised the creature's moment of weakness to ensnare it, binding its movements as it dived into the pool in an attempt to crush Gyarados underwater.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Gyarados roared but to no avail, it wasn't having an effect on Milotic, the only people it affected was Misty, Ash and two others who were desperately making their way to the room.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Solidad asked as Gyarados' cries echoed through the sanctums walls, almost getting louder as time went on.

"M...Ash must of let Gyarados out... which doesn't really bode well if things got serious enough for her to call him out" Brock said as he walked slowly through the halls, observing the destruction that his friends had caused.

"Hm..." Solidad murmured, turning around to look behind her shoulder as they reached another crossroads.

"What is it?" Brock asked, turning around much like she had.

"... I think we should hurry" Solidad said abruptly. "They're in" Solidad said which made Brock's eyes almost shoot open, but since they were Brock's that was nearly impossible.

"Damn" was all Brock could say as he pulled out Chansey's Pokéball. "Chansey come on out and topple some of these statues!" Brock commanded as his Pokéball hit the floor, summoning his monstrously strong Chansey.

"Chansey Chan!" Chansey sung as she ran up to some of the statues that lined the halls and tore them down with zero effort, amazing Solidad, mainly because she'd never seen such a strong Chansey before.

"How..."

"My Chansey has always been on the tough side" Brock said as Chansey continued to topple the statues to create obstacles for the onrushing Pokémon. "Ok that's enough" Brock said and called Chansey back to her Pokéball. "Let's run" Brock suggested, gaining a nod from the pink haired coordinator who broke out into a sprint before he got the chance too. "Hey that's not fair!" Brock cried as Solidad turned the corner before turning around to stare at the obstacles.

"This will only be a temporary road block... soon this place will be flooded" Brock said as he began to run after Solidad as the sound of rushing water reached his ears.

* * *

"Pikachu dodge it!" Ash cried as another Water Pulse flew at the electric-type, luckily Pikachu managed to dodge it just in the nick of time. "How can it rapid fire those things?" Ash almost grunted as Manaphy let off another Water Pulse.

"Pikachu we have to go on the attack, Iron Tail the Water Pulse then use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered as Pikachu's tail glowed before swatting away Manaphy's attack, causing it to crash into another pillar.

"Pikachuuuuuuu!" Pikachu screamed as electricity flew towards Manaphy, unfortunately the swift Pokémon dodged it and darted forward, firing a Bubblebeam in the time Pikachu had finished the attack. "Pika!" Pikachu screamed as he was sent toppling across the cavern floor once more.

"Maana!" Manaphy told Pikachu which made the electric type get back to its feet instantly.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied, turning to Ash for commands.

"_I need to ensure Manaphy can't dodge, if I can do that this match will be over" _Ash thought as he looked around once more, grinning when he found something he could use. "Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, gaining a nod from the electric type which set off into another mad dash towards the prince of the sea.

"Maana Mana" Manaphy said in an almost tired manner as he threw another Water Pulse Pikachu's way.

"Pikachu just keep running" Ash told Pikachu who obeyed dutifully as the Water Pulse got closer and closer. "Now get low and use the water to slide!" Ash told Pikachu who crouched as low as possible and used his accumulated speed to go under the onrushing Water Pulse.

"Mana?" Manaphy let out a startled cry as Pikachu continued to slide in his direction. "Maan" Manaphy started charging a Water Pulse but Ash had other ideas.

"Pikachu use your tail to swipe water in Manaphy's eyes!" Ash ordered and Pikachu obeyed, flinging water and some dirt which was part of the floor to blind Manaphy and halt his attack. "Now Iron Tail to fling him into the air!"

"Piiiika!" Pikachu roared, slamming his tail into Manaphy's abdomen, sending the legendary Pokémon into the sky, helpless and blind and unable to defend itself.

"Finish it off with a spinning VOLT TACKLE!" Ash shouted as loud as he could with Misty's feminine voice, punching his arm forward as Pikachu crouched and set off towards his target, electricity engulfing his entire body as he soared upwards, spinning in the process to create an illusion of a drill piercing his enemy as he crashed into the helpless Manaphy, causing an explosion of electricity to completely swallow the poor water-type.

"MAAAAAAANA" Manaphy cried out in pain as Ash pulled his spare Pokéball off his holster and tossed it at Manaphy, sucking him into it in a thick red light.

"Pikaa" Pikachu cried as recoil damage hit him, but Ash didn't notice too much because he just stared at the Pokéball which continue to wobble side to side, red dot flashing in the centre. "Come on..." Ash willed it with all his might.

*Ding*

The noise of successful capture reached his ears and a broad smile crept onto his face. "YESSSS!" Ash screamed with delight, as did Pikachu who ran up to the Pokéball and sat near it, awaiting the moment Ash would pick it up.

"All right!" Ash said as he picked up the Pokéball and held it aloft. "I just caught a Manaphy!" Ash declared proudly.

"PiPikachu" Pikachu cried joyously, hopping into the sky behind Ash in their trademark celebration.

"Finally... I can return to normal" Ash said with true joy as he stared at Manaphy's Pokéball. "And I'll make sure you that I'll treat you well, I can promise you of that" Ash told the Pokéball as he made his way towards the other chamber where Misty was fighting.

* * *

"Gyarados use Thrash to break free!" Misty commanded as she stood over the pool, staring down on the serpentine Pokémon which were writhing around in an attempt to gain superiority, granted it looked more like dancing in Milotic's case.

"Gyaaaa!" Gyarados hissed as he trashed around, dislodging himself from Milotic's tight grip, backing back a bit in the pool to gain some breathing space from the extremely strong water-type.

"Gyarados out of the pool now!" Misty ordered garnering an instant response as Gyarados dived out and landed right next to her. "Use Flamethrower on the water!" Misty followed up as Gyarados unleashed a torrent of flames onto the water, heating it up to boiling point, burning the beautiful Pokémon as it attempted to escape to the outside.

"Miloooo!" Milotic wailed as he landed on the poolside, almost smoking from the burn.

"Now use Crunch!" Misty ordered just as Ash reached the waterfall.

"Miloooo!" Milotic winced as it opened its eyes, erecting a forcefield in front of itself in the last second which ended up damaging one of Gyarados' fangs a little.

"Gyaaara" Gyarados roared as he fell back in pain, wondering how the creature that surpassed him in beauty was almost doing so in battle too.

"_I think I should wait until Misty is done" _Ash thought as his eyes turned to his former body, to spot that it was completely focused which meant he probably shouldn't interfere or he'd face the consequences.

"Gyarados that shield has got to give eventually, use Aqua Tail!" Misty ordered as Gyarados surged forward, ready to unleash yet another assault on the burnt Milotic.

* * *

"Run" was all Brock could say as the sound of rocks being crushed echoed in the halls.

"Shaaarrrpedo!" a loud roar followed, almost frightening the strangely calm Solidad who broke into a sprint as she turned another corner.

"Brock why is there water coming from the walls?" Solidad asked as she dodged some debris, turning yet another corner.

"This place is going to be flooded, it happened in the story... we have around five minutes left I guess" Brock said as he looked over his shoulder to see four Golduck swimming behind at rapid speed and behind those was a giant Sharpedo AquaJetting his way through the water to increase his speed.

"Flooded?" Solidad yelped as she turned the final corner. "... Brock I've found Ash" Solidad told Brock who had called out Croagunk who stood on his shoulders firing poisonous barbs at their pursuers to slow them down.

"Get over to him then!" Brock said as he picked up the speed and grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the room. "Dive!" Brock then shouted abruptly after looking over his shoulder, launching himself and Solidad who he dragged with him through the door as the Sharpedo Aqua Jetted right past them and into the stone walls.

"Ugh" Brock grunted as he dragged himself to his feet.

"Oh Brock you're here" Misty said without turning around, focusing on Milotic who was once again constricting Gyarados.

"Uh where's?"

"Ash is in the chamber fighting Manaphy!" Misty shouted, not noticing the mistake she made because she was too concentrated on what was happening in front of her.

"Ash?" Solidad asked confusedly as she got to her feet.

"Ask later" Brock told her as he called out Chansey. "We have to hold them off until we can get through" Brock then said gaining a nod from his childhood friend.

"Ok" Solidad agreed and threw Laparas' Pokéball down, summoning the transport Pokémon.

"Laaapraasss!"

"Laparas use Ice Beam to seal the door" Solidad ordered as Chansey threw an onrushing Golduck back through the entrance whilst Croagunk continued his barrage of Poison Sting attacks.

"Laaaprass!" Lapras cried, sealing the exit, if only temporarily.

"Misty we need to hurry up!" Brock said, not caring for keeping up the charade anymore, they needed to escape.

"One minute, just one minute!" Misty said in a rush as Ash watched on, ready to attack if necessary.

"...Fine" Brock said as he looked down at Solidad. "Can we buy a minute?" Brock asked gaining a cheeky grin from his friend.

"Definitely" Solidad said as she hopped backwards, directly in sync with Brock. "We'll keep them at bay with distance attacks" Solidad decided, getting instant recognition from Brock.

"Yeah okay" Brock said as the ice began to crack.

As this was going on Misty walked forward a bit and watched as Milotic and Gyarados broke apart once more. "Gyarados I know how to win but it'll be difficult" Misty said with confidence, gaining a loud snarl of agreement from her powerhouse.

"Miloooo!" Milotic roared as the wind around it became visible, dragging up the water in the process to create a whirlpool.

"It's using Twister" Misty said with a smile, it had used it already during their battle. "Gyarados close in and endure the hit!" Misty ordered as Gyarados pushed forward, throwing himself into the swirling water, roaring out painfully as it damaged his strong scales.

"Gyaarraa!"

"Just move forward!" Misty said as Gyarados pushed through the twister and managed to get face to face with the beautiful serpent. "Great now wrap your tail around Milotic's!" Misty screamed just as Gyarados tangled itself with Milotic.

"Milo?" the Milotic questioned in confusion, after all it possessed now ability to dodge when it was attacking.

"Great it's stationary, now use HYPER BEAM!" Misty screamed as Gyarados charged a glowing orange sphere in front of its mouth.

"Milooo!" Milotic stopped its attack, forming another barrier, but the confidence it would have possessed was no longer there. "Milo?" the Pokémon screeched as it came to the understanding that Gyarados was inside its barrier.

"You can't dodge it now!" Misty said triumphantly as Gyarados unleashed the energy, completely shattering all of Milotic's strong defences, causing him to smash through the erected barrier and into the wall. "YES!" Misty shouted as she pulled out her Pokéball and threw it at Milotic, ensnaring it inside the spherical chamber.

*Shake Shake*

"Misty... we can't hold them back much longer" Brock grunted as Chansey tossed another Golduck into the giant Sharpedo.

*Shake*

"We must go now!" Solidad then said as Lapras got hit by a powerful crunch, causing it to cry out painfully before collapsing in a heap. "...Lapras return" Solidad conceded, the seriousness of the situation overwhelming her concern.

*Ding*

"YES!" Misty roared, turning around to see the mob of Pokémon. "Oh my..." Misty gasped in horror at what Brock and Solidad had been holding back all along. "Gyarados use Hydro Pump!" Misty ordered instantly as the giant serpent which was injured from combat turned around and assisted the brave duo.

"Thanks!" both of them said in unison as they turned and ran towards Misty who had received the Pokéball.

"Brock! Sol!" Ash shouted from the waterfall with a panic in his eyes.

"Oh good you're in there" Brock said as he turned around to see the water-types being held at bay. "We have to get out of here now, did you catch Manaphy?" Brock asked gaining an instant nod in return. "Great" Brock said in a no-nonsense manner after all he'd rather celebrate later than risk doing so now.

"Ok... you guys get in here!" Ash told them gaining relieved expressions in return as all of them called back their Pokémon and entered the chamber, freeing the pursing Pokémon in the process which made them storm the room as quickly as they could.

"Shaaaaaaaar!" the Sharpedo roared as Misty, Brock and Solidad ran to the end of the hall.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, electrocuting the vulnerable water type instantly.

"Ash get over here there's no time!" Brock called out to the man-turned-woman.

"Ok" Ash said as he turned tail and ran towards the exit that Brock had opened for them. "Sol, Brock you two first" Ash said gaining sighs of agreement as they dived into the water, leaving Ash and Misty alone in the chamber.

"Ash..." Misty said with a relieved tone as water started filling the area.

"Yeah I know, let's go" Ash said only to be grabbed and thrown into the water first.

"Ladies first" Misty joked which made the former male growl angrily.

"Really Mist, jokes at a time like this?" Ash complained as Misty jumped into the water.

"Yeah so..." Misty said as she looked up to see a few Golduck entering the chamber, forcing her to close the entrance above their heads, leaving a small air bubble for them.

"...Never mind... let's go" Ash said as he turned to Pikachu and put on his breathing gear which he'd been carrying all along before diving under the water and in doing so successfully becoming one of the first people to survive the 'Ocean's Wrath'.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok I was going to have the whole what happens after Manaphy is caught scene but... I wouldn't complete it today and I wanted to release something after at least two days so... here it is the escape of the Secret Sanctum.

So Solidad now knows something, Ash has Manaphy and Misty has a Milotic and Brock is acting cooler as the days go by.

Sorry this was a battle only chapter but I'm sure you'll like next chapter, the penultimate chapter of day 4, for real this time :')

I would like to extend a big thank you to all my reviewers, I hope you can continue to review as you have been because it's so fantastic to see my work being appreciated so please LEAVE A REVIEW and inspire me to write more.

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	12. Day Four Part Five

Change of Perspective Chapter Twelve

Ok this is amazing, 121 reviews is this really happening? I had 101 reviews last chapter, at this rate I may hit dare I say it, 200 reviews which would be like a dream for me on this account!

Reasons for the late update are simple, number one I may have Glandular Fever and number two I received a computer that is 10x faster than my old one, so it took a lot of time to set everything back up.

Thank you reviewers, seriously I am deeply honoured.

Manaphy caught what's next hmmm... onto the penultimate chapter of Day Four we go yay!

Day Four Part Five

As expected the secret exit of the sanctum lead to the sea, more specifically it lead to the beach which was less than five minutes from the summer house. "Whoa I thought we were going to die" Brock said as he removed his breathing apparatus once getting above water.

"Well I didn't!" Solidad said as she looked downwards, awaiting when her friends would also surface.

"You are way too optimistic" Brock commented as Ash, Misty and Pikachu appeared above water, making him sigh with relief.

"Nah you were there so I knew we'd get out alive" Solidad whispered so her friends wouldn't hear, making the former breeder blush with pride, he never expected that he would be held in such high esteem.

"Ah...uh" Brock stuttered as Ash and Misty removed their breathing apparatus.

"We did it" Ash breathed heavily as he looked to Solidad who was giving him a strange expression. "Uh what is it Sol?" Ash asked as Misty grimaced, after all she had pretty much gave their identities away during her battle with Milotic.

"Oh... nothing" Solidad chimed as she looked to Brock as if asking for an explanation. Sadly he was still trying to find some 'smooth' words to say.

"Solidad how about you come back to the summer house, I'll explain things there" Misty said as she pulled Milotic's Pokéball out of her pocket. "Milotic come on out!" she shouted as the beautiful serpent appeared in front of her, screaming its name in a melodic manner before turning to its new trainer.

"Milotic can you ferry us back to land please?" Misty asked, gaining an instant nod from the beautiful creature which offered up its tail to each of them, which they took gratefully. "Thanks" Misty said to her new Pokémon before turning to Ash and miming 'she knows' just as the Pokémon set off for shore.

* * *

Once they reached land they headed straight for the house tiredly, pretty much dragging themselves there, this wasn't due to physical exhaustion, not it was mental strain which had caused it. "Remind me to never follow your plans again" Brock said as he looked to Solidad and Ash as Misty opened the door to the house.

"It worked though didn't it?" Ash chimed as he pulled Manaphy's Pokéball off his hip holster and grinned. "I caught a legendary Pokémon" he said with joy as he followed Misty into the house, heading straight for the sofa, collapsing on it once there.

"I guess..." Brock mumbled as he looked down on Solidad who was still waiting for her explanation, she wasn't angry, just curious as to why Misty had said Ash went on ahead. "Go on inside and ask them" Brock said with a smile, gaining a nod from the confident woman who instantly headed for one of the leather loveseats.

"We're finally going to return" Ash said to Misty with relief as he leant back and stared at Manaphy's Pokéball.

"What do you mean return?" Solidad asked as she sat down on the seat, a curious expression on her face as she leant back and allowed some of the strain from the day's excursions to seep out of her.

"..." Ash tried to say something but then shook his head in favour of a more direct approach. "I'll show you" Ash said as he threw Manaphy's Pokéball into the air softly. "Come on out buddy" Ash said affectionately as the prince of the sea manifested, landing on the small coffee table before looking around in a panic.

"Mana?"

"I'm over here" Ash informed softly, making the legendary water-type whip around and smile, diving at him instantly afterwards which made Pikachu squeal with delight.

"Manaaaa!" the legendary Pokémon cried, rubbing its head against his exposed abdomen, gaining a soft expression by those present.

"So... what is it that you're showing me exactly?" Solidad asked curiously not understanding what Ash had meant.

"Manaphy kind of used a special heart swap on us" Misty said as she cut to the chase in place of her ex-boyfriend who was petting his new Pokémon, much to its delight.

"..." Solidad tried to say something, failing in the process. Instead she just ended up having a completely slack jaw. "...Ha"

"Hm?" Ash hummed.

"Hahahahaha!" she burst out laughing causing the two skilled trainers to break out into a heavy blush of embarrassment. "You mean I've been hanging with... Ash?" Solidad struggled to ask through her fit of giggles which just embarrassed the current league victor even further.

"...Yes" Misty answered because Ash found himself unable to talk.

"Pfft...hahahhahaahaha" she began laughing again, this time loud enough that it caught Brock's attention.

"What's going on in..." Brock started to ask until he noticed the expressions on Ash and Misty's faces which made him almost smirk. "So you told her?" Brock asked gaining a nod from the duo who didn't even try to look his way, they were that embarrassed. "Hey Solidad... do you really need to laugh at them that much?" Brock asked as he watched the current woman of his affections burst into tears of laughter.

"So-sorry" she panted through the laughter. "I just think of the situation and it's kind of funny, especially with how Ash was hit on and all!" Solidad remarked, bringing up the incident from when they went shopping together.

"Please don't talk about that..." Ash practically begged as Manaphy and Pikachu watched the scene with much interest.

"I'll try not to" Solidad said as the occasional giggle escaped her lips, it was all very amusing to Brock but he didn't let it show on his face.

"Anyway" Misty said as if she was getting annoyed at the laughing. "We needed to catch Manaphy so we could turn back, which has happened so..." Misty started as she turned towards the small blue Pokémon. "Could you please... turn us back?" Misty asked the Pokémon, ignoring Solidad's occasional laugh.

"Mana?" Manaphy looked up to Ash as if asking him.

"I'd like that as well Manaphy" Ash told the Pokémon which smiled and hopped off his lap as a result, staring at them as if he was asking if they were ready.

"Wait before you start let me close the curtains" Brock stopped them abruptly much to everyone's surprise and curiosity.

"Uh what?" Ash asked bluntly, confused as to why Brock would suggest such a thing.

"Apparently it's a very bright light that Manaphy lets off, we don't want any beacons for Hunter J now do we?" Brock asked wisely, slightly impressing those present since they had all forgotten about J due to what had happened in the sanctum.

"... That would be a good idea" Ash conceded as Brock walked off and closed the curtains which made the room turn rather dark, though since it wasn't that late the light still filtered through the curtains slightly.

"So... what now?" Misty asked as she stared at Manaphy.

"You two should probably stand face to face about a metre apart" Brock suggested as the two got to their feet and walked to their respective positions, during this moment Solidad and Brock stole the sofa for their own, much to the duo's annoyance.

"Hey you did that on purpose didn't you!" Ash cried as he turned to his long-time best friend, making the pink-haired coordinator giggle once more.

"No you really had to stand apart, so we decided to take the seats" Brock cut in, which didn't impress Ash in the least but he lived with it.

"Fine whatever" Ash huffed as he turned back to Misty, gaining a smile in the process which made him subconsciously return the gesture. "So... Manaphy will you?" Ash asked the Pokémon which looked side to side and observed them for a moment before smiling, clearly having sensed something that wasn't visible to someone without his sensitivity.

"Mana!" he chimed as his twin antennae began to move, eventually appearing above his head before pointing to Ash and Misty respectively. "Manaaaaaaaaaaaaa" it chanted loudly as the ends of the antennae turned bright pink, firing off a pink energy which reached the chests of both Ash and Misty.

"Just like before" Ash said as the pink light intensified, seeping outwards to brighten the entire room in a light pink hue, the sheer intensity of the light forced everyone bar Ash and Misty to cover their eyes, clearly they were the only ones who were unaffected, probably because of their unique position.

"So bright" Solidad gasped, clearly dazzled by the sight in front of her whilst at the same time looking visibly impressed that Ash and Misty had no complaints.

"Manaaaaaaaa! Manaphy let out one last cry as the energy intensified a little more before dimming before disappearing completely.

*Thud*

Two loud bangs caught the ears of the two childhood friends as they removed their arms from their eyes to see Ash and Misty face first on the floor, unconscious much like they had been when Brock found them last time.

"Ash, Misty?" Solidad asked the two in a mixture of panic and anxiety, this however was quickly soothed by Brock who put his hand on her shoulder.

"This is normal" Brock stated as Manaphy looked over to Ash's body and ran over to it with a look on concern plastered on its face. "That's a good sign" Brock said with a smile as Manaphy prodded Ash's face, much like Pikachu was.

"Why?" Solidad gasped in confusion.

"Well Manaphy seems to really like Ash so he'd naturally go to check on him first" Brock deduced as he continued to stare at their unconscious forms. "We should do something about them, I doubt it's comfortable" Brock said as he made his way over to Ash's body.

"You deal with Ash and I'll deal with Misty then" Solidad suggested as she got up and walked over to Misty's body. "Think you can handle the carrying?" Solidad teased affectionately, making the older male blush before lamely flexing his bicep.

"Easily" Brock said shakily, unable to make himself sound cool, but that didn't matter to Solidad because she knew he could deliver when it counted, today had proven that in her eyes.

"Ok I'll leave him to you" Solidad said with a wink as she hoisted Misty up. "I'll take her to her room" Solidad told the man before walking off to leave the doctor in the company of two Pokémon and his best friend.

"When they wake up I really have to thank them for taking me on this holiday" Brock said as he picked up Ash with ease, after all he was still taller than Ash.

"Mana Mana!" Manaphy cried to protest as Brock started to carry Ash away, only for Pikachu to tell the Pokémon that it was all right and that Brock wouldn't hurt him, well at least this is what Brock thought Pikachu was saying.

"You can follow if you want" Brock told the two Pokémon which looked to each other before scampering over to him, hopping onto his shoulders to add even more weight to his strong frame.

"Mana"

"Pikapika" the two Pokémon said in unison, Pikachu went a step further and pointed towards the stairs.

"_I'm even being dragged around by Pokémon now" _Brock mused in his mind, after all he had always played a bit-part in most of his adventures even if he did lead the group through his maturity. "Right off we go" Brock said as he dragged the future Pokémon master in the direction of his room, mind already focusing how he would spend his 'alone-time' with Solidad.

* * *

As one problem faded into non-existence another was starting to make itself a little more prominent. "What do you mean you can't find it?" the harsh silver haired woman practically roared at one of her nameless subordinates.

"L-like I said sir, t-there have been no sightings of the target within the last twenty-four hours" the man quaked in fear. He like the rest of his fellow co-workers knew that J never accepted failure and he most certainly knew what she did to those who weren't performing their job.

"And why didn't you find it before it 'disappeared'?" J demanded in a chillingly cold tone, one that would make even the most hardened soul tremble a little.

"..." the man tried to speak but he had no explanation. _"I could go lie" _the man thought as he edged backwards a little. _"No she abhors lying" _the man thought as he broke into a cold sweat. _"I could say it was someone else's fault" _he then thought as he looked up to her eyes which were covered with her traditional black visor. _"..."_

"Well?" she barked aggressively, earning the man a few sympathetic glances the crew who were operating machinery on the bridge of the airship.

"I-I... it was down to an error on my team-leaders part sir" the man trembled, looking to the side to gain a violent glare from the team leader who was present. "H-he told me not to tell you" he said feebly as he pointed at the leader of his squad who was also J's 'second-in-command' if only in name, he held no true authority to be honest.

"Oh?" J queried as she flipped open a small compartment on her seat before turning to the man who was being blamed. "Is this true?" she asked, not as strongly as she did to the other man, mainly because she already knew the grunt was lying, she was just taking time to instil some hope in the man, it was more enjoyable that way.

"No sir, I had given no orders since the information was unreliable at the time" the second-in-command reported in a manner which showed his respect for the woman, he did this because he'd known her for a long time and thus knew how to not get on her nerves.

"I see" J said coldly as she turned back to the grunt and stared down on him. "Is this true?" she asked gaining a fervent shake of the head from the poor man who was scared out of his wits. "Hm" she hummed gruffly as she continued to bore into the man with her cold gaze. "I guess that's that" she then said as a look of relief appeared on the grunts face.

"Y-yes sir, I-I'll be on my way then" the man said in a tone of disbelief thinking he had pulled one over on the infamous Pokémon hunter as he started to walk towards the door.

"Who said you could leave?" J asked threateningly, not once leaving her seat.

"B-but you-"

"I said that's that" J stated as she finally got to her feet and turned around. "Tell me what do I do with people who fail to fulfil their duties?" J asked, a small, dark smile reaching her lips when the man in front of her turned white as a ghost.

"N-no" the stammered, looking side to side as if to beg for assistance but no-one moved an inch, all sympathy having been erased by his cowardly actions. "Please" he pleaded but J's expression remained stagnant, she didn't care for people in the slightest, the only person that mattered to her was herself and the only thing she cared about was her bank account.

"What?" J asked expectantly, hoping to see some display of grovelling from the man, not that it would change her mind, in fact it would probably make her even more annoyed which would only hasten his inevitable end.

"..." he tried to speak but instead he trembled, knowing that there were only two options for him now, fight or flight.

"Thought so" J said sadistically as she pulled out a Pokéball which made the man's eyes go wide, he knew he was going to be killed if he didn't escape, it was just a shame that he was trapped on an airship.

"_Crobat might be able to take me out the airlock" _the man thought optimistically, ignoring the fact that his Crobat probably couldn't withstand his weight. _"Run" _he then thought as he turned tail and sprinted through the automatic doors which made the woman grin.

"Just as expected" she commented as she walked after the man, seeing no need to run, after all he wouldn't get far. "Seal blocks thirty-two through thirty-eight" was J's last words as she exited the bridge, leaving her more obedient grunts to quickly fulfil her orders which caused two steel doors to fall to the floor sealing the route which the grunt was running on, effectively cornering him.

"...Damn, shit" he cursed as he reached the steel-plated door which had the number thirty-two painted on it. "Why" he then practically cried as he punched the door, damaging his knuckles at the same time as the sound of steps reverberated through the steel hallways.

"Ariados out now" J commanded roughly as the poisonous spider materialised at her feet, which just gave the grunt even more noises to hear, noises which signalled his end was nigh and that was truly frightening.

"Please don't" the man begged as J stopped ten meters away from him.

"Use string shot" J commanded as she ignored the man's pleas, all she did was watch as he his body was completely restrained by her spider-like Pokémon's durable thread. "Return" J then said as she placed it back inside her coat, pulling out another Pokéball afterwards, throwing it to the floor to unveil Drapion.

"Carry him towards the bridge and feel free to handle him however you like" J said as she turned around, smiling as the sound of a rib breaking and agonised screams reached her ears.

"P-please stop" the man begged as J walked back towards the bridge as the steel door of block thirty-eight raised.

"Am I hearing something?" J asked as she entered the bridge, gaining a 'no sir' from all present, clearly they were hardened to such experiences and thus saw them as the norm. "Didn't think so" J remarked as Drapion carried a bleeding man through the door, stopping in front of J's seat which she made her way over to before sitting on it.

"H-help" the man pleaded, hoping that someone would save him, but after his actions of betrayal he was sure no-one would care.

"I'll ask you again, what happens to those who don't fulfil their duties?" J asked forcefully as she stared down on her subordinate who was pretty much close to death at this point.

"..."

"I guess you wouldn't answer because the answer was so horrifying for you" she said as she eyed the small compartment she opened earlier, reaching into it to press a button which opened a hole right under where Drapion was holding him, this made him flail his legs with the little energy he had left.

"Please don't"

"Drop him" J ordered and with that Drapion loosened his grip, dropping the man through the hole making him scream out, knowing that he was about to die once he made impact with the ground and with that J pressed the button again to close the hole. "Return" she said once more, calling back Drapion as she placed the ball back into her pocket.

"Sir" J's second-in-command started as if nothing had happened, much like the crew who had all returned to looking at their workstations.

"What is it?" J asked a little gruffly as she turned to face him.

"I was going to report some new information before that... display" the second-in-command informed his boss who raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Regarding what exactly?" she queried, removing her black visor in the process revealing her steely blue eyes and fine facial features.

"Location of our target sir" the man said the words which were like music to the seasoned criminal's ears.

"Where? Tell me all the details" she said with intrigue and impatience which made the second-in-command think for a moment before replying, after all saying the wrong words to J could be fatal as well.

"The information said that our target is spotted on the hillside region at night so I suspect there is some kind of 'nest' where it sleeps" her most experienced subordinate said in a straight-forward, no-nonsense manner which J not only expected but also appreciated.

"How reliable is the source?" J asked as she laced her fingers together, this time sounding a little less angry than she normally did, after all good news pleased anyone, even the infamous huntress.

"I'd say we can believe this one" the man said confidently gaining a small smirk from J, she could tell that he wasn't lying.

"Good, if you're wrong you know what'll happen" J said sternly gaining a nod from her longest serving subordinate.

"I won't be sir" he followed up, knowing all too well that J liked confidence after all she was an independent woman and she expected other people to be like her.

"Good, dismissed" she told the man, receiving a salute before he walked away, once gone she turned her gaze to the main pilot and stared into the back of his skull. "Set a course for the hillside region, we'll dock for the night so land somewhere that's open" J said as she got to her feet.

"Yes sir!" the pilot replied just as the woman walked through the automatic doors and towards her personal chambers all the while wearing a satisfied smile.

* * *

(End Chapter)

So this chapter got to showcase some of J's ruthlessness for those who have never watched the D/P series, personally I haven't seen the entire series but J's episodes were always so intriguing, she is a strong, sociopathic woman who I interpreted her as such.

Day Five is J's day and some more shippy moments so I think it'll be good for those who enjoy romance, though I think you shouldn't get your hopes up since I seem to be writing more adventurish which kind of contradicts the whole genre this is aimed at but hey oh well.

So Ash and Misty have returned to their bodies... in truth it wasn't my original plan but I thought of something and decided Ash and Misty returning would be better for the plot, especially for what comes next, it also gives me more options for free exploration during day five, because onwards things get real!

Once again I would like to send my thanks out to all the reviewers, it really helped me muster motivation for this chapter since it is the transition into the 'darker' part of the story, but don't worry the story won't get too dark.

I hope you enjoyed and please LEAVE A REVIEW so it can continue to inspire me and maybe just maybe make me reach 200 reviews!

Happy Manaphy Hunting

-Aquilon


	13. Day Five Part One

Change of Perspective Chapter Thirteen

Ok guys, 136 reviews I honestly cannot believe it, I now am thinking that I will get 200 reviews as long as I can continue to satisfy you, after all I know how many chapters are left and it's definitely possible especially since I get enough reviews per chapter to achieve 200.

Anyway enough of my hopes, those are still a long way off, so for now let's get back to the story, enter the huntress yeah!

Day Five Part One

Unlike the normally hectic nights that Ash had been experiencing as of late the latest one was relatively normal, something that he appreciated as he kept his eyes firmly shut, inwardly enjoying his return. _"Finally no more weird dreams, well there was ONE but I wouldn't call it weird" _Ash thought as a wry smile reached his face, he dreamed of Misty again that night, just this time she was in her proper body.

"_I'm just glad that I'm no longer acting like her" _he thought gratefully as he rolled over, knocking Pikachu off the bed in the process which made the electric-mouse cry out in shock.

"Pika!" the electric-type growled as he got to his feet which made the man laugh happily, this only made him happier, after all he could finally hear his own voice again from his normal perspective. "Pika?" Pikachu questioned as he witnessed this, anger almost forgotten, replaced by a feeling of curiosity.

"It's nothing" Ash mumbled as he opened one eye and looked down the bed to see the outline of his body. "Yup no breasts" he confirmed, almost amusing himself, he was childish like that. "Though they did feel good..." Ash followed up as he climbed out of bed, stumbling slightly due to the size and weight of his body, even if it wasn't for a long time he'd become accustomed to Misty's body.

"Feels good to be tall again" Ash said after regaining his footing and walking off to the shower, gaining an excited cry from Pikachu who hopped back onto the bed and awaited his master to finish his business.

"_I wonder what I am going to do now... the only reason I came here was to get my body back"_ Ash thought as he cleaned himself off, luckily this body didn't take any time to get used to, it was like his mind had quickly reformatted itself to its default settings. "Oh well I guess I'll have to talk about that with Mist" Ash said as he turned the tap off and froze for a moment.

"...Will Mist talk to me now though, I mean the truce was only until we got our bodies back" Ash questioned loudly, catching Pikachu's attention.

"Pika!" Pikachu screamed back, as if admonishing his trainer for the stupid thoughts which made the future Pokémon master laugh almost hollowly.

"Pikachu if it was down to me I would like to remain like this" Ash said as he exited the bathroom, rubbing himself with the towel before discarding it haphazardly as he looked down on his long term partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu screamed back clearly unhappy with Ash's choice of words, something Ash understood instantly.

"..." Ash sighed as he grabbed some boxer shorts and put them on before leaning down and patting Pikachu on the head. "Honestly I don't think how we are is enough for me" Ash whispered the words he'd been thinking even before they'd met up on her birthday. Words that he'd been ruminating over ever since their break-up because there was only one sort of relationship he'd ever want with her.

"Pikachu I'll do my best alright buddy?" Ash told him as he grabbed a plain t-shirt and lazily pulled it over his head.

"Pika!" Pikachu said joyously as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder, just as the man was standing up.

"Well let's head to breakfast" Ash said as he looked down at himself. "Misty was way too modest when she was in my body" Ash said as he opened the door "who wears shorts in the house with this heat?" he joked as he walked onto the landing and headed towards where Brock was almost guaranteed to be.

* * *

As the ginger haired woman opened her eyes to greet the new day she smiled, knowing full well that she had returned without even looking at herself. "Well at least that's all over" she thought as she climbed out of bed and stretched her arms out above her head.

"_I will kind of miss it though" _Misty thought as she looked down her natural body and sighed. After all unlike Ash she had become fully accustomed to the opposite gender's body which meant she would surely miss a few things, such as not being 'weighed down' by her chest. That wasn't to say she was blessed with abnormally huge assets, but they were perfect for someone her height.

"_Though there is something I will miss more" _Misty thought as she turned to the side, as if trying to see through the wall into Ash's room. _"Will Ash and I be as close as we have been this week?" _she questioned as she walked into the bathroom and stripped off before climbing into the shower. _"Will he want to keep the truce?" _she wondered, hoping the answer would be yes but she couldn't be sure with Ash.

"_I did tease him quite a bit" _Misty thought, almost giggling at the memory. _"He acts so childish at times that I'm not sure how he will take the teasing" _Misty thought as she remembered all the small 'ladies first' comments and the times she utilised her strength to control her ex-boyfriend.

"I really don't have the right to call him childish though" Misty whispered as she cleaned off her body and remembered back when they were going out. Back then Ash always teased her and her natural response was to get angry and eventually unforgiving, because of this she knew she was a hypocrite by thinking he was childish.

"_We were both wrong back then" _Misty thought as she turned the tap and climbed out, wrapping a nearby towel around her body in the process. _"If only we could start over" _Misty thought wistfully as she stared at some of the clothes she packed, if only for spiting her ex, after all she rarely wore clothes that 'pretty'.

"Maybe just for today" she grinned as she imagined Ash staring at her lustfully and almost shivered. After all if his reaction was only half of her own towards him during the last four days she'd be more than satisfied.

"_I want us to keep the truce..." _Misty thought as she plucked up a few articles of clothing. _"Though I don't want to say it..." _Misty thought as her pride overwhelmed her, a trait that had always helped create a rift between her and Ash. _"Though if I can 'convince' him to say it himself then that'd be fine" _she thought deviously as she put the outfit on the bed and smiled. _"I'll get you Ash" _she almost said out loud, smiling whilst at the same time wondering why she still felt kind of empowered.

"Perhaps that curse really was helpful after all" Misty said softly with a smile to match, whilst at the same time thinking that she had to thank Manaphy for all his help, even if it did cause her trouble in the beginning.

* * *

As Misty walked down to breakfast she was met with the sight of Ash and Solidad talking happily at the table, Brock meanwhile was out of view since he was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "Solidad?" Misty questioned in disbelief whilst at the same time peeking at Ash lower half, not that she had do, she had seen it personally all week.

"Oh hi Misty, did you sleep well?" Solidad asked as she turned to the gym leader, smirking when she noticed that the woman's vision was transfixed on Ash.

"Umm... yeah I guess" Misty replied awkwardly as she looked back to Solidad and awkwardly smiled as a small blush reached her face. "So why are you here?" Misty then asked in an attempt to steer away from some inevitable teasing by Solidad.

"She stayed here overnight" Ash cut-in suggestively, grinning joyously as the embarrassed expression Solidad displayed upon hearing his words.

"Oh really?" Misty asked excitedly as she made her way to the table and sat down right next to Ash. "I wonder what they got up to" Misty mused to Ash who turned the side and smiled, both at her words and her choice of dress.

"Woah there stop with the dirty thoughts you two" Solidad insisted though it really didn't do anything to stop Ash and Misty's colourful imaginations as the two covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. "I'm being serious!" Solidad demanded in a futile attempt to convince her new friends. "You are both so childish you know" she sighed and put her head down on the table tiredly.

"Wow looks like you had a 'rough' night Sol" Ash suggestively joked once more, which made the ginger woman almost giggle, luckily she stopped herself.

"Enough of the suggestions please Ash" Solidad asked politely as Brock entered the room holding two plates, ears perking at Solidad's words curiously.

"What kind of suggestions?" Brock asked, capturing Misty's attention as he placed the plates on the table in front of Ash and Solidad.

"Sexual suggestions" Solidad drawled as she dug into her food eagerly, as if using it as a form of escape from the conversation.

"Ah" Brock hummed, seemingly unfazed much to Misty's surprise, after all Brock was a bumbling fool around all forms of male and female interaction. "...Nothing happened" Brock claimed unconvincingly, a small blush on his face which only Misty noticed.

"I guess it was true then, sorry Sol" Ash apologised before diving into his food much like Solidad had, after all he unfailingly trusted Brock.

"_He's hiding something" _Misty thought suspiciously as she stared at Brock which made him act kind of uncomfortable, especially when she smirked at him which only confirmed her suspicions. "Brock..."

"Hey Misty can you join me in the kitchen for a moment?" Brock said very quickly before the ginger woman could finish her sentence, something that made Solidad's head perk up.

"Ok..." Misty agreed slowly as she got to her feet and followed him into the kitchen. _"That was stranger than normal for Brock" _Misty thought as she turned around to see Solidad staring in their direction.

"Mist" Brock whispered as Misty stared at Solidad. "...Mist!" he whispered again, finally catching her attention.

"Oh sorry, Solidad was looking this way" Misty said as she turned to him. "Why did you take me here?" she asked, making the older male sigh as he opened one of the cupboards and pulled out three empty bottles of wine which made her eyes go wide.

"Mist... do you think she's angry at me now?" Brock asked without explaining anything to her which just made her mind start imagining weird scenarios.

"...She doesn't look angry" Misty stated the obvious before asking the question which was begging to be asked. "Why would she be angry at you and why are there three empty bottles of wine in one of my cupboards?" Misty asked quickly.

"These bottles well... Solidad found a stash of alcohol which was rather... expensive" Brock said awkwardly as he looked around Misty to see Solidad staring in their direction, a look of almost worry plastered on her face.

"Go on" Misty accentuated her point by rotating her hand clockwise in an impatient manner.

"Well when you two passed out we took you back to your rooms, around that time Solidad found some bottles and brought them to me" he said as he swallowed nervously. "She suggested we drank some as celebration of surviving... I think" Brock said as he looked away from Misty who was starting to fear where this was going.

"Well... long story short she can't handle her drink" Brock chuckled awkwardly "and apparently nor can I" Brock followed up embarrassedly which made Misty's eye's go wide.

"Don't tell me"

"Don't think that... well a little but no" Brock babbled as his face turned red. "Ok well here's the story" Brock finally started to explain.

"I've been waiting all this time..."

"This is no time for wise cracks Mist" Brock sighed at the woman as he covered his face. "Ok we kind of..."

"Let me guess you two got drunk and had sex on my sofa" Misty said in an almost disgusted manner, after all she wouldn't be able to sit on it anymore.

"Wait what?" Brock asked in a flabbergasted manner which confused the ginger haired woman. "No you're wrong, you're almost right though..." Brock said as his face flushed again.

"Eh?" Misty gasped, shocked that she was wrong because usually when people talked like this it was always the 'worst-case scenario'.

"Ok well we got drunk and then she came onto me" Brock said in almost disbelief and judging by the look on Misty's face he wasn't the only one who was surprised. "Well anyway she starting kissing me and well I didn't really stop her but then she started taking off my shirt and well..." Brock continued to babble which would usually amuse Misty but not this time.

"What did you do?" Misty asked with the expectation of hearing something completely out of the ordinary, unfortunately for her this didn't happen.

"I stopped her" Brock revealed as he peeped around Misty to see Solidad looking at them but once their eyes met she turned around which upset him a little.

"You... stopped her?" Misty asked to make sure she was hearing him correctly.

"Yeah?" Brock practically questioned back, wondering why Misty sounded so surprised.

"And you think she's angry at you for that?" Misty whispered back almost disbelieving tone gaining a small, confused nod from her long time friend which made her laugh. "I don't think she's angry Brock" Misty said as she turned around to look at Solidad who was now talking to Ash. "I think she is embarrassed if anything" Misty mused as she remembered how Solidad said 'sexual suggestions'.

"Really?" Brock asked almost hopefully.

"Trust me Brock she'd be angry if you took advantage of her being drunk, I don't know many women who get angry because you didn't in that situation" Misty told him with a smile which almost completely alleviated his fears.

"Thanks" Brock said as he turned around and pulled some stuff out of a nearby cupboard.

"What are you doing?"

"Making your breakfast" Brock said as he grabbed a saucepan. "By the way... you said you don't know many women who'd get angry... but you know one right?" Brock asked perceptively as he opened the fridge.

"Yeah... my sister Violet" Misty joked before spinning on her heel. "I'll go back to the table now ok?" Misty said as she walked away.

"Mist wait a second" Brock told the ginger haired woman who stopped in a flash.

"Yes?"

"Good luck with Ash" Brock said slyly as he cracked an egg, making the gym leader blush but smile at the exact same time.

"Thanks" Misty said softly before bouncing back to the table which made the older male laugh and scratch his head awkwardly.

"_I was expecting you to deny everything Misty" _Brock thought as he mixed the mixture for the pancakes he was making. _"I guess this holiday has helped you more than I imagined" _he then thought as his mind flickered to Solidad from the night before which brought a blush to his face. _"Granted this holiday has helped us ALL" _he then thought as he poured the mixture into the pan and started to cook and as usual for Brock he thought what he had been thinking all week.

"_A caretaker's job is never done"_

* * *

As this occurred something else was stirring not far from the house. "If the target is anywhere in this area it'll be here" the steely voice of the huntress remarked as she looked over the abnormal lake with two of her goons standing right behind her.

"Hmm" she murmured as she lifted an arm to her visor, clicking a button which granted heat vision. "Three Pokémon, a Magikarp and hmm" the huntress said in monotone as she knelt down and thrust her hand into the lake, seizing the lone Magikarp with ease.

"Karp Karp" the Pokémon cried as it flailed in her arms, not that she gave it any heed.

"You'll be perfect to confirm my suspicions" J told the Magikarp as a typical evil smirk graced her features. "Hyah!" she grunted as she threw the Magikarp through the sky, a few metres above the lake before folding her arms and watching her handiwork.

"Shar!" a Pokémon cried which made J grin maliciously as the create dived out of the water and seized the weak Pokémon in its jaws, crunching down instantly which caused blood to spur out of the creature and coat the water with a deep red which made the goons cringe, they knew their boss was ruthless but they were always surprised by what she did.

"Interesting" she remarked as she turned to one of the goons and glared, unimpressed that he looked mortified by her actions. "You, drink some of the water" she ordered in a business like tone which made him freeze like a Stantler in headlights.

"..."

"Now" she demanded sharply without even raising her voice yet despite this it had the same effect which helped illustrate how much authority she had over her men.

"Y-yes sir" he stammered as he rushed to the water and put some in his mouth before spitting it out instantly, coughing much like Brock had when he did the exact same test.

"Salt water?" J asked with her arms crossed gaining a small nod from her henchmen which made her smile knowingly. "Good I think we can conclude that this is the likeliest place" J said more to herself than her henchmen as she turned around and walked towards her ship knowing that she didn't need to give the order to follow since they'd do it out of instinct.

After a minute of walking the huntress arrived at her ship which was still in stealth mode, yet she knew it was there because her second in command was standing dutifully where she'd ordered him to stand. "Sir!" he said loudly with a salute as he pressed a button on his wrist which sent a signal into the bridge to undo the cloaking device, revealing the rather large and expensive aircraft which was J's base of operations.

"Your information seems solid" J told the man gaining a nod in return.

"Thank you sir, what are we to do now?" he asked as he stood at attention.

"We'll be taking a little trip to the bottom of that lake, I think we'll find something" J said confidently, after all her instincts were rarely wrong.

"Which means..."

"Engage underwater mode" J said as she walked passed him and up the steps into her ship, almost grinning at the prospect of what she'd find down there, knowing all too well that it was going to be a very profitable day.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok I have to explain a few things, first of all I must apologise for the very lacklustre chapter, it was required because I needed to get a few things out of the way, next chapter will be very interesting from both a shipping perspective and a plot perspective, that is because J's actions start heating up and well... Misty and Ash are going to have a little talk

Next as for my tardiness in releasing this chapter, well I have no real excuse, however if you accept the fact that I got Steam and then someone sent me Fallout 3 as a gift then yes that is my excuse... it's a very addicting game and I have other things to do, for example exercise, hanging out with my friends and getting over this virus that I have :/ but don't worry the next chapter will probably be released faster =D so no need to worry (Ugh I used a Dawn quote .)

Once again I am amazed by the result of reviews I have been receiving, honestly I only need 10 reviews a chapter to get to 200 by the end now and I hope all of you can help me reach it!

Ok then this is the end of this chapters insanely long note, as usual I hope you enjoyed and please LEAVE A REVIEW so I can be inspired to continue to write, you guys are awesome and I'll try harder to release faster next time.

Well until then, Happy Reading.

-Aquilon


	14. Day Five Part Two

Change of Perspective Chapter Fourteen

149 reviews... just one from my original target, which is now 200. Thanks so much for all the reviews it makes my day, really, especially since the issues with my health recently which don't worry isn't serious it's just bad luck :/.

Well I am sure you don't want to read a long A/N so I'll leave that for the ending one, so on with the story, on with the shipping and on with the huntress.

Day Five Part Two

As the giant airship lowered into the water the steely huntress struggled to keep her gaze on the reinforced windscreen of the ship. _"I hate water" _J thought as she closed her eyes to escape the vision of pure blue, to escape the sight she saw when she stared death in the eye back in Sinnoh when the legendary Pokémon, Mespirit and Uxie sent her ship plunging into the water.

At that moment she was fortunate that she was meticulous by nature because one of the many escape routes that she'd littered her former ship with was her salvation. She remembered the moment her ship hit the water, for a slight moment she thought it was the end but after some quick thinking she decided to seal the corridors to slow down the flooding even if it meant damning most of her crew to death.

From there she looked around the bridge as calmly as she could, observing each one of the crew there to decide which one she hated the most, not that she really held any liking for any of them bar her second-in-command who was unfailingly loyal to her. _"I can't even remember her face not that it matters" _J thought as she rested her chin on her red gloved hand.

"_Please don't take my Sharpedo" _J remembered the pitiful begging of the woman she'd plundered on that very day, the memory almost made her laugh, after all she'd never seen any of her subordinates show such open resistance to her commands.

"_It made the decision even easier" _J thought as she remembered how she almost resorted to using her own fist to attack the woman only to be stopped by her second-in-command who did it for her and gave her Sharpedo's Pokéball afterwards.

"_That Pokémon was the first I sold when I got to shore" _J thought as her blue eyes emerged once more, she held no regret, in fact she'd never felt regret in her entire life. Selling that Pokémon was too easy, it didn't matter that it ferried her to safety, if it wasn't strong enough to be in her team it would be sold that was her nature, it was how her life was and would always be.

"Sir are we looking out for anything in particular?" a new recruit asked as he looked through one of the many viewing points.

"Have you been listening to anything I've told you?" J asked with a low, strict voice which made him freeze on the spot.

"... Of course sir but how exactly do we search for one Pokémon amongst so many?" the man asked as he saw an extremely rare Relicanth swim by. "...Sir how much would a Relicanth sell for?" he then asked before J could reply which angered her but money took precedence.

"Harkness activate underwater capture" J said to her second-in-command who nodded and pressed a button which fire a net which once surrounding the rare Relicanth petrified it by secreting a special fluid from some of the strange metal fragments on the net. "Capture complete sir" Harkness replied as he reeled it in.

"Good" J frankly commented as she got to her feet and stared down on the new recruit. "You if you speak out of turn again this lake will be your new home" J threatened which confused the young man before he came to a realisation, it meant she'd kill him and dump his body.

"U-understood sir" the man stammered as he began to shake and divert her vision, he couldn't look at his employer the same way anymore.

"Get out of here then" J barked viciously gaining a nod from the young man before fleeing in an instant which brought a satisfied smile to the huntress' face. She ruled through fear, fear which would bring loyalty and she knew she'd installed her own form of loyalty over the man from his reaction, if she hadn't he'd be dead.

"Sir we'll be at the bottom in around a minute, what are your orders?" Harkness asked as he stood at attention, green eyes jutting to the side to look out the window for any potentially catches as he did so.

"We'll explore the base of the lake" J said as she tapped a button on her visor, bringing up small green writing on the inside of the eyepiece which supplied detailed information on Manaphy, it was kind of like a Pokédex but focused more on habitats and unique Pokémon traits than bitesized snippets of information which were irrelevant to capture.

"I assume the target lives at a lower depth then?" he asked with a tone of respect as he stroked his golden hair which contrasted with J's silver to the side, all the while keeping eye contact with his boss who he respected more than anyone else.

"Correct" J confirmed, granting the man leeway for his stupid question after all he was useful and loyal, something indispensible in her line of work. "If you find anything 'interesting' then be sure to message me, I'll be in my quarters" J said as she got to her feet and walked towards the door, something which came as a surprise to everyone but Harkness.

"'_Hate' water" _Harkness thought as he shook his head, she'd told him in the past that she hated water but he knew that wasn't the truth. _"More like you fear water" _Harkness thought as he watched his beloved leader walk out of the room.

"Men let's make sure we find something or else we'll all be in hot water" Harkness said as he approached J's seat and stared at it, not taking it though because of his respect for the woman.

"Yes sir!" they all shouted, just as the ship touched the lakebed.

* * *

"So what's the plan for today?" Ash asked as Brock put some pancakes in front of Misty and almost glowered. _"Why didn't I get pancakes?" _Ash thought as she looked up at Brock with a look of betrayal on his face.

"There's some in the kitchen for afterwards" Brock said with a sigh which brought a cheery grin to the indigo league victor as the doctor sat down at the table next to Solidad who kept her eyes focused on the empty plate.

"Sorry..." she whispered under her breath, only for Brock to hear which made him smile gladly.

"_I guess Mist was right" _Brock thought as he whispered back "it's alright, I don't mind... let's talk about it later" which made her nod as she lifted her head so it was no longer staring downwards.

"...You guys" Ash said as he stared at Solidad and Brock who seemingly hadn't noticed his question.

"Oh sorry... what is it Ash?" Solidad apologized as Misty giggled knowingly.

"Uh... what's the plan for today I mean we already got Manaphy... so the 'holiday' is over right?"Ash asked, earning a kick to the side of the leg and by knowing which direction it came from Ash knew the culprit. "Hey what was that for!" Ash shouted, this time not as hurt as he was when he was in Misty's body but it still hurt.

"Oh brother, don't tell me they'll start arguing again" Brock muttered to himself which seemingly shoved Misty's oncoming retort back in her mouth and froze Ash into a block of ice. _"Huh... what happened?" _Brock thought almost in shock as he observed the looks on his friend's faces.

"..." the two sighed in unison which was quite an interesting sight to the pink haired coordinator who was now as interested in the situation as Brock was.

"I'm sorry" Misty then said abruptly.

"Huh?" Ash let out an almost strangled reply.

"For kicking you" Misty said guiltily. "Force of habit, I'll try to stop" Misty followed up before sighing again as she lowered her head, much like Solidad had only moments before.

"..." Ash was so gobsmacked that he couldn't even reply. _"What should I say?"_ Ash wondered as he turned to Brock for advice but he only got a shrug of the shoulders, this wasn't because the older male didn't care it was just he didn't know what to say.

"I'll stop asking stupid questions" Ash said the first thing that came to mind, after all he didn't want to argue and apparently nor did Misty. "... So let's just decide what to do from here ok?" Ash asked Misty who smiled.

"Yeah ok" Misty agreed which made the brown skinned male exhale loudly which came as a shock to him because he didn't even know he was holding his breath. "So... what are we going to do?" Misty asked, mainly Ash instead of the others.

"It may be dangerous but I think we could stay here for another three days" Ash said as he smiled at Solidad. "Sol's holiday isn't over for a few days and well" Ash said as he looked to Brock and grinned wryly which made the older male blush. "I think we owe it to Brock..." Ash said as he turned to Misty and winked which made her giggle.

"Yeah" Misty said as she looked at Solidad and smiled. "I think we owe it to Solidad as well" Misty said in a similarly suggestive manner which almost brought a blush to her face, but Solidad was a little more secure with her feelings unlike the rest of the people at the table.

"Well you won't hear me complain" Solidad said as she turned to Brock and then back to Ash and Misty. "Thanks you two" she said softly which made Ash shrug as if it was nothing, Misty just smiled in response.

"But are you sure Ash? J is here and if she finds us..." Brock said ominously which made the young adult grin.

"I think we can handle her..." Ash said with false confidence after all J had faced off against all the Regi legendaries at once and only retreated after her petrifying device was broken she'd also got the better of them on numerous occasions.

"If you say so..." Brock's doubtful tone was clear for all to hear but no-one really brought him up on it, not even the two who'd never seen J before, mainly because they believed Ash and Brock completely on the matter.

"Enough of the negativity Brock" Solidad 'scolded' as she got to her feet and picked up everyone's plates. "Who knows we may not even run into J, you two worry way too much" she chimed optimistically as she carried the plates into the kitchen.

"Negativity..." Brock said awkwardly.

"... More realistic than negative in my opinion" Ash said gaining a nod from Brock, after all if there was one thing the two knew about the silver haired Pokémon hunter was that she didn't give up easily and she sure as hell would find them given enough time.

"You two really are negative when it involves that woman" Misty said as she observed the two men she'd known for half her life.

"Yeah well she's the worst villain I've ever met" Ash said with a sigh. "But I don't really want to continue talking about this" he then said much to the relief of Brock and Misty.

"Yeah... how about we just decide on what to do today?" Brock offered as he tried to forget the female huntress who'd practically tried to kill his best friend on multiple occasions and almost succeeded with all of them.

"Well I can help you two with that" Misty grinned, seizing the attention of her friends. "The beach again, but this time we'll be doing something a little different" Misty said with an excited look on her face.

"What do you mean by 'different'?" Ash asked almost reluctantly as his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"You'll see" Misty said with a grin which made the two males turn to each other and nod before turning back to Misty and agreeing with her. "Great, then it's decided I'll go tell Solidad" she told the two as she got up and walked towards the kitchen leaving the two males alone.

"So when are you going to admit it?" both of them said in unison which made them almost laugh at the coincidence.

"Soon" Brock said which made Ash smirk and then stretch his arms out.

"I think I'll have little talk soon as well" Ash said as he stared at Misty from his position, eye's transfixed on the bare skin which she was showing off very generously.

"Good because it's annoying watching you two act strangely around each other" Brock said, finally admitting his disdain for how the two acted towards each other.

"Yeah I get it" Ash said as he got to his feet. "I'm going to put my swimming shorts on, be back in a minute" Ash informed as he walked off leaving Brock alone once more, which seemed to be a habit of his friends in recent times.

* * *

"What is that sir?" one of J's many henchman asked Harkness who diverted his vision from his hands to the reinforced windscreen to see what seemed to be a crevice which had a few rocks blocking the way.

"Hmm" the man, four years J's junior murmured as he walked forward to get a closer look. "It kind of looks like the entrance to an underwater cave" he mused as squinted his eyes to focus a little deeper. "Though it looks like it was recently closed" he followed up inquisitively.

"How can you tell sir?" one of the pilots asked curiously.

"Let's just say experience" Harkness replied quizzically as he pondered about what to do next. "Do any of you think a legendary Pokémon would hide in an underwater cave instead of in the lake itself?" Harkness asked as he folded his hands behind his back and walked away from the screen.

"I do" one person, probably around twenty-five years of age said confidently which seemingly acted as in invitation for everybody else to talk, all of which repeated the first man's sentiments.

"Personally I agree with you" Harkness said honestly as he grimaced a little. "However if we're wrong you know the consequences" he informed them which made each and every one of them shiver in fear.

"But sir she asked to inform her if anything interesting is found" the only female member of the crew on the bridge said bravely, making the second-in-command almost smirk.

"Very good" Harkness complimented the woman who sported short, almost layered crimson hair which practically covered her left eye, her right eye was violet, a very rare colour indeed. "Though I fail to see the interest of a crevice which doesn't guarantee any results" Harkness decided to play along with the woman, mainly to test her aptitude, perhaps she'd be useful to J, make like himself which was something he took pride in.

"Sir as you said it was closed recently" the woman smiled as she said this which impressed him after all not many had confidence to speak so openly to him, after all he was trusted the most out of all J's subordinates. "If so it could mean something is hiding..." she suggested from the top of her head, impressing the second-in-command.

"We've got our excuse good work uh..."

"Chloe Petrovita sir" she answered earning a raised eyebrow from practically everyone. "I'm from mixed heritage ok" she explained.

"Ok then Petrovita, good work" Harkness said as he walked up to the intercom system and clicked it. "Sir we've found something 'interesting'" Harkness said in a serious tone which starkly contrasted with how he was talking prior.

"I'll be right there" was the only response, but it had the desired affect because everybody on the bridge, including Petrovita turned to their workstations with an added seriousness which could only come around when your life was at risk.

* * *

Apparently right there really meant that because it took under thirty seconds for the woman to appear at the bridge, totally composed and calm as ever which meant she didn't even run to the bridge, after all that'd be out of character for her.

"Harkness what's the situation?" she asked as she walked over to her seat and sat down with a look of expectancy in her steely blue eyes which were no longer covered by her visor.

"We found something which may be an underwater cave, or so we believe" the second-in-command said as he walked over to the reinforced windscreen and pointed to the opening. "It looks like it's been closed up only recently" Harkness continued.

"Tell me something I don't know" she grunted but she wasn't particularly angry yet.

"Sorry sir" Harkness said as he coughed to clear his throat, gaining some respect from the crew members on the bridge, that's because it took a certain sort of person to act so calm around J. "As I was saying, it's been closed recently and if you think about it... wouldn't a legendary Pokémon have an area exclusively for itself?" Harkness asked calmly.

"Yes I can see your logic" J commented as she stared at the crevice. "We'll check it out" J then said as she turned to Petrovita. "You there use one of the torpedoes" J barked making the crimson haired woman leap up in fear.

"Y-yes sir" she stammered as she quickly tapped away at the console in front of her.

"Miss and you'll be sorry" J warned as she turned back to the crevice and watched, awaiting a positive result.

"_Don't you dare miss" _Petrovita thought as her finger hovered above the button which would send the torpedo towards its destination, the only thing stopping her was the fact that she'd only ever used the missiles, never the torpedoes since they rarely went underwater. _"It's all or nothing" _she thought as she closed her eyes and pressed the button which sent a torpedo flying out of the ship, and luckily for her, right on target causing a large underwater explosion which opened a massive hole on the rock face.

"Good shot" J complimented as she got to her feet. "Set a course for inside, Harkness and you" J said as she pointed to Petrovita. "Follow me" she ordered before walking towards the door.

"_What should I do?" _Petrovita mimed to Harkness.

"_Just do what she says" _Harkness mimed back as he followed his boss confidently, much unlike the very unconfident Petrovita who'd never really been spoken to by J in the past, she was kind of new after all.

After a lot of following the three stopped in a storage room which contained various visors, gauntlets which caused petrifaction, capturing chambers and even a few handguns. "You two use one of these each" J said as she handed them a metallic gauntlet. "You'll each be leading a team" J informed them, handing them both a visor as well.

"M-me sir?" Petrovita asked in shock.

"Will that be a problem?" J growled in response silencing her 'protests' instantly.

"O-of course not sir" Petrovita stammered as she put on her visor and gauntlet so she didn't have to deal with looking at her boss who quite frankly frightened her, though at the same time she commanded respect from her which was the only thing keeping her in J's crew... and the fact she'd be killed for trying to leave.

"Good make sure to use that on anything of worth" J told her gruffly before walking away, leaving her with Harkness in the storeroom.

"...How do you use this thing?" she murmured as she observed the device.

"Just press the button on the top" Harkness informed her as he put on his equipment. "I'd take a sidearm too just in case" Harkness said as he took one of the pistols.

"But she didn't..."

"She won't mind, it seems that she likes you" Harkness informed her. "Though don't think that won't get you killed" he then told her as he safely secured the gun in his holster. "Just make sure to capture a few Pokémon and you'll be in her good books" Harkness finished and walked towards the exit. "Come to the bridge now we have business to attend to" Harkness 'ordered' and she obliged, following after him all the way back to the bridge where J was waiting for them.

"Let's go" she said once they arrived, pointing to a few people and then pointing to Harkness or Petrovita to pick the teams, she however had no team after all she worked better alone.

As the ship 'docked' J stepped out first to see the sight of calamity. Rocks and boulders were scattered around the chamber as was remnants of broken ice, large stone pillars which had been topsided and at least twenty species of water Pokémon which were brawling against each other from some reason which brought a malevolent smile to the huntress' face.

"Jackpot" she said coldly as he held her wrist out and pressed a button to petrify just one of many Pokémon to come.

* * *

(End of Chapter)

So this was predominantly a Hunter J chapter, ok explanation time, this chapter would be 1,297 words longer if I hadn't deleted a whole section because it seemed forced, instead that section has been moved to the end of the day, just a little reshuffling because I can add to it after the beach scene.

So one thing to explain, these two subordinates are OC but they won't really feature too much, I just wanted to give some familiarity to J's crew so it didn't just sound like her and a bunch of mindless, quivering drones. Naming sense? Well you'll find that both of their surnames are names from Fallout 3, besides I wanted a Russian sounding surname or at least Eastern European lol, oh and to let you know Violet eyes DO exist but they are rare, I in fact my mum has them, I on the other hand only got my dad's green eyes, damn, but for those curious they are emerald green.

So a later update chapter, once again I must apologise I suck I know and I bet you hate me for it... haha joking I hope :/

Next chapter will involve... a hunting spree and a nice beach trip, it may be the end of Day Five or there may be one more, it's all down to if I need to, though the next chapter will probably be quite long which will mean I will take longer to update, but as usual I'll try and update ASAP but I can never guarantee anything unfortunately.

As usual I am loving your reviews, every time I wake up to a good review I grin, so I've gained a good 149 grins over the course of this story, longer reviews stay in my mind by the way =D (Thanks Jane Hawthorne)

So anyway I hope you enjoyed and please LEAVE A REVIEW so I can remain inspired, because trust me we are nearly in the final stretch and I need the motivation!

Happy J Hunting

-Aquilon


	15. Day Five Part Three

Change of Perspective Chapter Fifteen

Damn sorry for the late update, my excuse is very simple to understand... Olympic Fever. Also counting the fact that I am a rather patriotic person (not too patriotic though) and this Olympics is the best we've ever had up to this point I can't help but stay glued to the TV, so sorry.

Thanks for the reviews from last chapter, sadly though Chapter fourteen has the lowest amount of reviews amongst my chapters which didn't do much for my motivation :/

Anyway enough of this and onto the chapter!

Day Five Part Three

"Jackpot" the opportunistic huntress' cold voice remarked as she lifted her wrist effortlessly, aiming at a wild Walrein which was participating in the large brawl of Pokémon. "It couldn't be easier" she quipped as she pressed the button on her petrifaction device, freezing the giant walrus like Pokémon into solid stone in an instantly, and as expected not a single Pokémon batted an eye-lid, they were that enraged.

"One down" the silver haired woman counted as she turned around to see Petrovita and Harkness exiting the ship along with those that had been assigned to them.

"What in the world" Petrovita gasped as her violet eyes widened behind her dark visor, clearly she had never seen such a large Pokémon diversity in a single area. Harkness on the other hand wasn't fazed in the slightest. After all he'd been working with Hunter J for long enough to witness such things.

"That's what we call a huge paycheque" Harkness said as he smiled malevolently much like his mentor and long time superior had.

"Correct" J answered as she brandished the Pokéball of her powerhouse. "Salamance" was all she said as she threw the ball to the floor, summoning the Pokémon which had inflicted losses even on Pokémon of legend. "I'm going to go in that structure over there" J told her subordinates, pointing towards the underwater sanctum as she mounted her dragon.

"What should we do sir?" Petrovita asked hesitantly, earning a small frustrated glare from the woman who had put faith in her which made her scream inwardly from fear.

"We'll deal with the Pokémon out here" Harkness answered for his boss, saving Petrovita's skin in the process.

"Very well" J answered as she turned around and tapped her foot on Salamance's neck eliciting a roar from the stupendously strong dragon as he took to the sky and flew above the mob of Pokémon, all of which turned for a moment, poised to attack only to quit when they saw the ferocity of the dragon.

"... Thanks" Petrovita whispered as she watched J enter the sanctum, earning a chuckle from the second-in-command.

"No problem but I think we should leave the chatting for later" Harkness replied casually as he pulled out a Pokéball which meant so much to him, not it wasn't of his first Pokémon, instead it was the Pokémon that J had given him. "Come on out Galvantula!" the blonde haired man commanded, summoning the EleSpider Pokémon whilst lifting his own wrist, poised and ready. "Let the capturing begin" he declared, boldly whilst pressing the button on his own device as an excited smile seeped onto his face.

* * *

"Omanyte, Kabutops and Omastar" the huntress murmured as details on each Pokémon flashed on the inside of her visor. "They should fetch a nice price" she commented as she shot four times with her petrifaction device, sealing two Omanyte a Kabutops and an Omastar to yet another fate where they were casted in stone.

"_What caused this?" _she wondered as she tapped her foot on Salamance's neck signalling that he should continue to fly through the structure, after all her henchmen would pick up the remains once they were done outside.

"_Someone has been here" _the woman thought as she spied a few toppled pillars which were clearly used to stall something which she assumed to be a swarm of Pokémon. _"Why would they go this way though" _she wondered, curiosity piqued. "Salamance use Hyper Beam" she ordered as she spotted a few confused Poliwrath at the end of the corridor.

"Salaaaaaa" the creature roared, conjuring a orangey yellow sphere in front of its mouth before quickly dispersing it into a ferocious beam which melted some of the blue skin off the helpless Pokémon which collapsed in an instant.

"Weak, they're worthless to me" J commented as she pointed to an archway. "Salamance through there" she commanded in a steely tone, gaining an instant response from the dragon which ploughed through the entrance, dragging down some of the wall in the process which only spoke testament to how strong its muscles were.

"Well isn't this a sight to see" J said with no real awe as she entered a large, battle torn chamber, sitting in the centre of which was a giant Manaphy statue. _"So is Manaphy here?" _J wondered, eyes sharpening as she looked side to side, noticing that a battle had clearly taken place, not only that it seemed as if the place had been recently flooded.

"Where are you!" J roared pointing to the statue in the process. "Salamance Dragon Pulse on that statue" J commanded, hoping to bait the legendary Pokémon into the open.

"Salaaa!" the creature cried as it formed a turquoise sphere which it fired directly at the statue, hitting it dead in the centre, decapitating the head whilst destroying the body into hundred of stone slabs which fell into the water below.

"Grrrr!" a roar erupted from the pool of water in the centre of the room, forcing the experienced huntress into grinning.

"About time" J grunted as she hopped off Salamance and walked to the water's edge. "Come on out now!" she demanded and as if on cue the water in front of her erupted into the air which made her backstep to avoid it crashing down on her. "Salamance" J told her strongest Pokémon in a firm tone which was enough for Salamance who instantly placed himself in front of the woman.

"Sharrrrr!" a roar caught the ear of huntress, it was familiar yet different at the same time.

"A Sharpedo" J guessed, looking upwards instantly to confirm her guess. Indeed it was a Sharpedo but this wasn't an ordinary Sharpedo, both her eyes and her visor confirmed this. _"That is at least seven foot" _J thought calmly as she stared at the ferocious Sharpedo which was covered in battle scars which just added to its sinister image.

"Test it Drapion" J declared as she threw down Drapion's Pokéball with a smirk on her face, it wasn't every day that she came across such a fine specimen and just by looking at it she could tell the Sharpedo was something out of the ordinary. "Pin Missile" she instructed her Pokémon, holding her hand out at the Sharpedo.

"Draay!" the Pokémon cried, firing out seven white streams of light from its pincers, all of which converged like a net which forced the Sharpedo into action.

"Sharrrr!" the Pokémon growled ferociously as it shot a swirling black energy from its mouth which clattered into the pin missile, dissipating it in such a fashion that it rained down on J and her Pokémon, however that wasn't all because as this occurred Sharpedo surrounded itself in a torrent of water and used Aqua Jet to fire itself at J who was trying to guard herself from the Pin Missile.

"Cross Poison" J ordered in a calm and collected manner as the Pin Missiles avoided her by inches which she noted was a good stroke of luck, otherwise she'd be in a real bind.

"Drayyy!" the Pokémon replied as he dutifully threw himself in front of J, crossing his pincers which glowed a deep purple, poised to cut down the onrushing Sharpedo which in seeing this spiralled itself in such a manner that it avoided them and landed behind J and her Pokémon.

"Salamance Dragon Tail" J instructed instantly, having read Sharpedo's intentions mere moment and in doing so, countered an oncoming Water Pulse which was batted away with Salamance's powerful tail. "How interesting" J said with a devilish smirk, turning around to stare down the fine specimen in front of her.

"I could use you, you'll be more profitable to keep around" J remarked as she pulled out another Pokéball, confusing the water Pokémon which began to thrash side to side in a berserker like frenzy, cracking the stone flooring in the process.

"Salamance Hyper Beam, Drapion Pin Missile" J commanded, her intentions clear, she was going to capture the Sharpedo, not like she usually did, no she was going to do something she wasn't accustomed to and that was capturing a Pokémon in a Pokéball.

"Salaaa!"

"Drayyy!"

Both Pokémon roared in unison, unleashing their attacks on the Sharpedo which despite having the odds against it surrounded itself in water and used Aqua Jet to meet the attacks head-on causing a mini-explosion which sent it hurdling back, but it wasn't enough to knock it out. "Sharrrr!" the Pokémon roared, eyes sharpening as it opened its mouth and fired off a powerful Dark Pulse at Salamance which stood helpless.

"Intercept with Cross Poison" J answered Sharpedo's 'challenge' with physicality, watching as Drapion dived in front of Salamance and crossed its glowing, purple pincers to form an 'X' shape before firing it at the Dark Pulse creating yet another explosion of energy which clattered into Sharepdo and Drapion, sending the latter into the pool of water behind it. "Powerful" J commented with a satisfied smile.

"Salamance use Dragon Pulse" she told her Pokémon which had just recovered from using Hyper Beam.

"Salaaa!" the Pokémon roared firing off yet another sphere of turquoise energy which was countered by yet another Dark Pulse, however this time J was ready for it. "Now get close and use Dragon Tail!" J's sharp tone demanded and as usual the dragon responded, dutifully flying into the explosion, ignoring any pain so it could get a shot off on the large Sharpedo.

"Shar?" the startled Pokémon cried as Salamance appeared in front of it, teeth brandished causing it to flinch momentarily which gave Salamance the opportunity to turn around and clatter its glowing tail into its side, knocking all the air out of it as it was sent through the brick wall and into the other room.

"Don't stop now, Flamethrower!" J ordered, walking towards the wreckage as her dragon-type sent the helpless Pokémon ablaze without a single chance of defending itself.

"Sharrr!" the Pokémon cried out in agony but J didn't care as she threw the Pokéball in her hand powerfully at the yellow star on its forehead, it was as if she was trying to cause it one last bit of pain before it went into the device.

*Shake Shake* the Pokéball wobbled feebly as J continued to approach it.

*Shake Shake* it shook once more as J's heeled boots clicked on the stone flooring as she walked through the hole in the wall, stopping on the charred ground where Sharpedo's Pokéball stood.

*Ding* the red flashing light in the centre of the ball turned white, signifying that the capture was successful, not that J had any doubt that it would turn out any other way.

"Capture complete" J commented with an uninterested tone as she pulled Drapion's Pokéball out of her overcoat and pointed it backwards as she knelt to pick up Sharpedo's Pokéball "return" she said as a red beam flew from the device and brought the defeated Pokémon back before slipping the ball into her overcoat once more.

"So what can you do?" J questioned the Pokéball of her newly captured Sharpedo, pressing the side of her visor to scan the Pokéball. _"Moves are Crunch, Water Pulse, Dark Pulse and Aqua Jet. Ability... Rough Skin and Speed Boost" _J repeated the information the visor was telling her, visibly pleased that it had two abilities which was a rare trait all her Pokémon possessed. _"Not perfect but with a few new moves it'll come in handy" _J deduced before throwing the Pokéball back down so she could ask it a few questions.

"Sharr!" the Pokémon roared as it was released, fangs brandished, ready to attack until it saw the expression on Salamance's face and backed down, clearly the dragon-type had used on of its abilities, Intimidation. "Shar-pedo" it conceded, making the experienced huntress smirk.

"Good that you know your place" J said condescendingly at her new Pokémon, instantly asserting her dominance over their future relationship. "Now tell me has a Manaphy been here?" J began her questioning, ready to squeeze out every drop of information she could from reading the Pokémon's body language and tone of voice.

* * *

"So what exactly are going to be doing Mist?" Ash asked the question everybody wanted to ask as he scratched the back of his head, eyes torn between looking at the sea and Misty's gorgeous legs, well in fact all of the 'skin' that she was putting on offer.

"That" Misty answered angrily, pointing towards one of the speedboats that were zipping around the ocean.

"Oh that all?" Ash's disappointment was clear to be fair he found it rather anti-climactic.

"Nah... A little more than that" Misty said as she lead the confused group across the white sand towards where they got their diving gear, unfortunately however there was a line which meant they had to wait.

"So what exactly do you mean by a little more?" Brock asked as Misty grinned deviously, not sharing her idea with anybody.

"Not telling... though can any of you use a speedboat?" Misty asked curiously, after all she didn't want to be the one driving the entire time.

"I can" Solidad answered, leaving Brock's side to stand next to Misty, leaving the two males at the back of the queue.

"So what's all this about?" Brock asked, sharing Ash's confusion, however he didn't get an answer because Ash's concentration had shifted to somebody who was walking across the beach and seemingly towards them.

"..." Ash's mouth opened but nothing came out, well except for an almost growling noise which Brock found rather amusing whilst at the same time very alarming, for some reason Ash looked angry at the sight of the person.

"Uh Ash?" Brock awkwardly asked to fill the void but before he could even finish Ash was making a bee-line towards the person whom he didn't know, he assumed however he'd done something to anger Ash since the indigo league victor wasn't the type to get angry for no reason.

"Don't even think about it" Ash practically warned as he reached the man who Brock had to admit was the type women would find attractive which only made the stranger give him a perplexed expression.

"Woah dude I don't know who you are but chill" the stranger replied in a casual manner, his eyes however were looking past Ash and towards Misty and Solidad who were still in the queue.

"Ash what are you?" Brock asked as he walked over to his friend but once again he was ignored.

"You were hitting on m-... her the other day" Ash calmly replied almost fumbling his words as he pointed at Misty who'd turned around at that point, which merely left her confused. "Don't even think about it" Ash warned, it was a mixture of anger that the person would try and hit on Misty and that he'd been hit on which had wounded his pride a little.

"_Ah I see" _Brock thought as a wry smile appeared on his face. _"Typical Ash getting jealous but... I think I should stop this before he goes too far" _Brock thought as he touched his friend on the shoulder. "Ash..."

"Oh so you're her _man_" he replied almost condescendingly, a smirk on his face as he looked past Ash and back to Misty, who looked back before turning to Solidad who whispered something into her ear which made her eyes go wide then seconds later she glared at him. "Eh?" he gasped almost in confusion at her response as he looked to Ash and grinned. "You don't look too impressive, she could do better" the man said in an attempt to rile the black haired man who predictably took the bait.

"Oh really and let me guess you thin-"Ash started to respond angrily only for somebody to cut in before he made a fool of himself, after all Ash may have been a great battler but he wasn't the wittiest of people.

"What are you doing here?" Misty's sharp, angry tone caught the ears of the handsome man who's demeanour changed in an instant, one moment he was mocking and now he was smiling pleasantly as if he was the pinnacle of manners.

"Woah Mist what are-"

"Solidad told me" Misty whispered under her breath as she continued to glare at the man who wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"I happened to come across you again beautiful and I had to-"

"Shut up will you" Ash cut in this time, annoyed that someone other than himself was talking like that to Misty, besides he had a feeling there was no sincerity in his words.

"Calm down dude this is just between me and her" the man said in an attempt to further rile the aspiring Pokémon master as his eyes took in Misty's gorgeous exposed body, an almost lecherous smile reaching his face as he did so.

"No you'll find this involves me" Ash growled possessively which was enough to snap Misty out of her angry stupor for a moment to smile at his words. Truth be told she was also annoyed that Ash had been hit on originally, yet she couldn't understand why she'd still feel jealous about such a thing.

"Interesting" the man feigned interest in Ash's words as a smirk which helped to showcase his baseless confidence appeared on his face. "What exactly are you planning to do then?" he asked arrogantly, amused that Ash was acting volatile, that is until he saw Ash curl up a fist at his side. "Woah calm down let's not get violent, physicality isn't my thing" the man's tune changed as he pointed to his face. "I can't let this get damaged now can I?" he asked in yet another arrogant manner yet the accompanying laughter just helped to show his cowardice.

"_That just means you're a wimp" _Brock, Ash and Misty thought in unison, almost disappointed in a peculiar sense, it's not like they wanted to fight but it was almost pitiful to watch.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the man asked in an almost offended tone at the blank expressions on the trio's face. "L-Look I have an idea" he subconsciously stuttered as he tried to regain his composure. "You" he started, pointing to Ash, a look of disdain on his face. "Battle me" he suggested which made Ash almost smile, clearly he didn't know who he was.

"You guys go on ahead, don't worry" Ash said as he turned to Brock and Misty who gave him a look of defiance but his confident smile made them agree. "It's not like I'll lose" he followed up. It was as if it was his turn to be arrogant.

"Wait you don't even know the terms yet" the handsome man protested but Ash shrugged with disinterest.

"We'll accept any terms" Ash quickly replied with a smile which almost unnerved the arrogant, prideful man who was at least five years his senior. "Let's make it one on one though" Ash said as he threw his Pokéballs to the floor releasing everyone bar Buizel who was still recovering from his injuries.

"Which one of you want to battle?" Ash asked, ignoring the man who stared at his Pokémon with a renewed look of confidence on his face, clearly he thought little of Ash's pre-evolved Pokémon.

"Dew-Dewott!" Dewott answered fastest, wanting to prove himself in his new form.

"Alright then Dewott you're with me, Pikachu, Crognaw and Corphish you guys go with Misty and Brock" he told his Pokémon whom looked at each other with varying expressions from Corphish's disappointment to Crognaw's glee before obeying and following after his friends.

"So by any terms... I can spend the night with your girl?" the man asked already predicting his win as he started to walk across the beach, prompting Ash to follow him.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that" Ash said as he caught up to him, planning out in his mind how badly he wanted to humiliate the guy. "Because you won't be touching her" Ash finished as they reached a small secluded area perfect for a Pokémon battle.

"Well you'll just see after this" the man said as he reached into the pocket of his swimming shorts, thumbing a Pokéball before throwing it to the floor screaming "go Blastoise!" as he did so.

"BLASTOISE!" the giant turtle roared as he stared down at the tiny Dewott, mirroring his trainer's smugness by practically chuckling at the small otter.

"Dew-ott!" the small otter 'roared' back defiantly, hands reaching for his scalchops.

"Alright Dewott let's show this guy what we can do!" Ash told his Pokémon as he stared at his opponent confidently "now use Shell Blade!" he ordered, watching as his Pokémon darted towards his opponent with speed and fluidity which he lacked as an Oshawott.

* * *

Unlike the battle for survival in which Brock and Solidad had to hold back the swarm this one was a little more balanced, in fact it would be fair to say that the swarm was now outnumbered. Countless Golbat filled the cavern. Each one belonged to an individual grunt assigned under Harkness or Petrovita who were partaking in the battle a little further away.

"Galvantula use Electroweb on them!" Harkness ordered as he shot off a few energy bolts from his petrifaction device, each one of them missing the target because the Pokémon began to dodge once they realized how dangerous the device was, this was in fact his intention because it lead them directly into Galvantula's web, electrocuting them whilst binding them down.

"Wow that's amazing" Petrovita commented in awe as she detached the Pokéball on the far left side of her belt, throwing it to the floor soon after.

"Jigglypuff!" the Pokémon which had left the Pokéball cried instantly before hopping onto the crimson haired woman's shoulder, a broad smile on its face as it watched the Pokémon around them formed a circle.

"Hey aren't this Pokémon similar to our target?" Petrovita asked the second-in-command who was busy binding most of the Pokémon with his beloved Galvantula.

"Yes but these are Phione, they're inferior" Harkness answered in a serious tone as he turned around to confirm that the woman had really sent out a Jigglypuff of all Pokémon. "No offense but a Jigglypuff?" Harkness asked in disbelief making the balloon Pokémon puff its cheeks out childishly which only amused her trainer.

"Trust me, my little Jigglypuff is perfect" Petrovita said with the upmost confidence, a small smile asserting this as she put her hand on her petrifaction device, breathing heavily before pointing at one of the Phione. "...Harkness... sir do you think you can surround us in a web?" Petrovita asked as she fired off a shot, forcing the larger than normal Phione to dodge, rather slowly she noted.

"Uh"

"Trust me" Petrovita told the man as she reached into the pockets of her trousers pulling out two sets of earplugs. "You'll need these" she continued, slipping a pair of black ear plugs into his hand.

"Ok then, Galvantula form an Electroweb around us!" Harkness ordered, making the bug-type cry out in confusion briefly before fulfilling his trainer's commands, trapping both the majority of the Phione and his trainer inside a web which meant nothing could escape without being shocked. "Good work... now Petrovita show me what you can do" Harkness said as he slipped the earplugs in, noting that they were very effective.

"Will do sir" she replied, knowing all too well that he couldn't hear her. "Jigglypuff use Echoed Voice and make sure to use the web to enhance it!" Petrovita shouted since she didn't know how loud she was talking due to the earplugs.

"JIG" the Pokémon started, taking in a large influx of air just as the Phione opened their mouths in unison, ready to unleash some sort of attack. "JIGGLYPUFFFFFFFFFFFF!" the Pokémon screamed, almost creating a sonic boom like affect as the noise rebounded off the web, making all the Phione scream out in agony, many of them dropping to the floor in the process. "Great now use Sing in a similar manner" Petrovita followed up, a smile on her face, she didn't particularly enjoy causing pain to Pokémon but she did love battling.

"JigglypuffJigglyyypuff" the Pokémon began to sing, making all those that hadn't fallen to their knees already collapse, bar one who was still standing albeit rather woozily, Petrovita noted that it was the larger than normal one.

"Good work Jigglypuff" Petrovita complimented her starter as she pulled out her earplugs and stared at the larger than normal Phione.

"You..." the Pokémon said quietly as Petrovita tapped Harkness from behind to tell him everything was over. "...You...Are...Looking...For" the Pokémon continued as Harkness spun on his heel to witness all the unconscious Phione bar one which made his eyes widen for a moment before he lifted his wrist.

"I'm looking for?" Petrovita asked, intrigued that the Pokémon was talking to her, whilst at the same time curious as to what he was about to say, because of this it came as a huge surprise when she saw her superior, who was still unable to hear things due to the earplugs, holding his wrist up, ready to petrify the Pokémon.

"Don't do it" Petrovita shouted in a futile attempt to stop the man, but before the words even escaped her lips the Pokémon was encased in solid stone, then seconds later the man removed the earplugs from his ears. "Sir..."

"Good work" Harkness said with a genuinely impressed tone as he walked up to the unconscious Pokémon which included his Galvantula. "Looks like I owe Jigglypuff an apology" Harkness said as he walked up to a few more unconscious Phione and petrified them without any hesitation before turning back to Petrovita, wearing a confused look on his face. "What's up?" he asked as he observed the look of confusion on her face.

"Oh nothing" she said as she stared at the larger Phione, questions running through her mind as she did so. "I'm just not used to this I guess" she lied as she petrified one of the Pokémon, eyes still focused on the larger Phione.

"_I want to know what it was going to say" _she thought as she got to petrifying the rest of the Pokémon, knowing all too well that it would eat at her for days, it was just the way she was.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok super late chapter, like I said at the start, Olympic Fever got me, plus the fact that I found this chapter boring (Next one will be good, and the ones after that will be REALLY GOOD) or so I think, next chapter we finally start to get the serious shipping (mini-spoiler for you guys :D)

Anyway, just to let you know I need 12 reviews per chapter from this point to reach my goal and I would appreciate that all of you contribute to it. I spend a lot of time writing this, I'd appreciate you spending a few minutes of your time when I've sacrificed hours for your enjoyment.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and once again please LEAVE A REVIEW so I can be inspired to work harder and perhaps release faster next time.

Happy reading.

-Aquilon


	16. Day Five Part Four

Change of Perspective Chapter Sixteen.

Hey everyone, wow how long has it been? 4-5 months, damn I really am sorry for the long time it's taken for me to start writing, anyway, enough of that, in the end there is no point apologizing when it's my time I'm sacrificing in the first place.

On with the story rawr!

Day Five Part Four

Ash had many types of battles over the course of his 'career' but never had he met an adult trainer so incompetent in his life. He could have played it down to the fact that the man wasn't a battler by trade and merely kept his Pokémon as pets but even then to own a Blastoise and not utilize its potential was almost crime.

Power attack after power attack, his battle style was simple. He used high-level water attacks which were slow and easy to avoid, especially for his agile Dewott. It was almost embarrassing to fight the man. Every hydro-pump dodged made the disgrace of a trainer, and person, sweat profusely, he didn't understand how Ash could command his Dewott so brilliantly.

"Dewott move in close and slap some sand into Blastoise's eyes!" Ash ordered, watching carefully as Dewott slammed his dual scalchops into the sand, diverting it into the large tortoise like Pokémon's eyes, making it cry out in fear.

"Toooise!" the Pokémon roared, scampering backwards unsteadily, its stomping feet almost causing it to topple over onto its back.

"Blastoise what are you doing stop goofing around already!" the handsome, yet annoying young man cried out in fear. He knew this guy in front of him wasn't an ordinary trainer, he was something else. Contrary to Ash's beliefs about him he was a fairly skilled trainer having won many badges in his time, even reaching the top-16 of the league at the height of his career. Yet despite this Ash was too good, his Pokémon too well trained.

"A battle is decided not only by the Pokémon" Ash stated, irritating the handsome man. "You won't be spending any time with Misty" Ash followed up confidently, eyes sharpening. "Dewott circle around and get onto Blastoise's shell" Ash ordered, Dewott disappearing from sight instantaneously, appearing directly behind the large water-type.

"How is that thing so fast?" the man asked, having never seen a Dewott before which wasn't surprising since they were native only to the regions around Unova.

"_That's something I'd like to ask to be honest" _Ash thought as Dewott glowed a bright white for brief moment as he dived onto the Pokémon's back, turning back to his regular blue coat almost seconds after.

"Dew!" Ash's Pokémon stated proudly, looking to his trainer for more commands.

"Great work" Ash complimented as he shook off his surprise at Dewott. "Climb up to his head and let Blastoise squirm!" Ash order and just as planned Blastoise began to thrash about the moment Dewott got to his position. After all large Pokémon often lacked mobility and could easily panic when their opponent latched onto them.

"Calm down Blas-"

"Too late for that" Ash stated confidently as he stared at his Pokémon, whose scalchops had turned a dark purple unlike its normal light blue when poised to attack. "That's... is that possible?" Ash stated for a moment, chuckling. "Who cares? Dewott use Night Slash!" he roared as the Pokémon nodded, cutting diagonally into Blastoise's exposed head, making its eyes widen in a flash, glazing open as it fell forward face first into the sand, unconscious.

"Blastoiiiseee!" the man cried in worry, running up to his Pokémon as Dewott hopped off and walked to Ash, who watched on as the man knelt in front of his Pokémon.

"You won't be spending any night, any moment with Misty, I've told you that before, perhaps you'll remember it" Ash practically growled at the man whose face turned a fluorescent red, embarrassed from being completely outclassed.

"You... how did you- shut up!" the man said unsurely, lashing out before he had a chance to dwell deeper on his own musings of inferiority.

"I won the recent Indigo League" Ash satisfied him with an answer, a superior smile on his face, he suddenly realized why Gary always looked so thrilled by his previous superiority over him. "You stood no chance" Ash stated as the man withdrew Blastoise.

"..."

"Try anything else and well... I'll let you decide what I'll do" Ash tried his best to sound truly threatening, the man got the hint and turned tail, sprinting off like the coward he was, almost making the black haired Indigo League Victor burst out laughing.

"Dew!" his Pokémon stated matter-of-factly, nodding his head with his arms crossed.

"Good work out there buddy" Ash reverted to his cheerful self as he looked down on his Pokémon, a surge of pride overcoming him. Ash always thought he could turn the former overly cheerful and battle 'shy' Oshawott into a powerful competitor, but he had to admit he was losing hope. Dewott's performance however had shown that the labour he'd put in to achieve his growth was worth it.

"Dew!" the otter Pokémon chimed happily, still retaining some of its babyish excitement it'd possessed as an Oshawott, this was made ever more apparently by his dash for the shoreline.

"_It's obvious where he's going" _Ash inwardly sighed, almost amazed that his Pokémon's jealousy towards things could mirror his own. Right in front of them, quite far out but still clearly visible was Crognaw, dancing on a pair of water skii's as the people and Pokémon in the speedboat cheered him on.

"_Well they do say Pokémon inherit traits from their trainers" _Ash remembered one of the Brock's many snippets of information making him blanch. It was sad to say but he really could imagine that his occasional jealous streak was projected onto his Pokémon.

Ash shaking his head at the revelation made his way over to his friends, swimming closer to where they were circling in the boat, now up close he could see that it was in fact Brock, under the guidance of Solidad who was the 'captain' of the boat.

"Sly Sol..." Ash remarked as he spied the woman practically meshed up against Brock making it seem like she was merely holding his arm, he could only imagine what was going through his best friend's mind, regardless he approved of the two, not that he hadn't before.

"Good going there Brocko" Ash said with a hint of sentimentality as he spied Misty laughing at Crognaw's antics, even further amused by Dewott who was using his new found speed in an attempt to keep up with them, failing miserably.

Feeling kind of left out on his own, more annoyed at the fact that nobody had noticed him bobbing in the ocean water he shouted out. "Hey you guys!" he shouted as loud as he could, only capturing Misty's attention, her head whipping around to spot him, a smile reaching her face instantly which short circuited him momentarily.

"_It's the same feeling as when we were still together..." _Ash thought, a grin sneaking its way onto his features. "Care to let me on?" Ash asked as the speedboat zipped past him again. Misty, despite having her hearing obscured by the sound of rushing water heard him and told her friends to stop so Ash could get on.

Once the boat came to a halt Ash swam over to the side of the boat, head turning to the side briefly to watch a very tired Dewott attempt to blindside Crognaw, who in the midst of his happy dancing kicked Dewott in the jaw, sending him hurtling across the water like a skimming stone, sinking for a moment before resurfacing, head practically spinning.

"So how'd the battle go?" Misty asked as Ash pulled himself aboard, a cocky smile reaching his face, his battling skills was something he was proud of and he wasn't afraid to flaunt it.

"Let's just say he won't be coming back" Ash bragged, mildly snickering with delight.

"Thank Arceus" Misty sighed with relief, making Ash raise a brow for a moment. "N-Not that I thought you'd lose but... you tend to do stupid things at times" Misty admitted with a wry smile on her face.

"I would have never lost" Ash followed up, a childish pout on his face, turning to see Crognaw practically begging for them to start the boat back up again, Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder as per usual and Corphish had hopped out of the boat, already prodding a dazed Dewott in the face with closed pincers.

"You want to have ago skiing?" Misty teased, remembering back when they were still going out. Ash had a little accident in water-skiing and swore never to do it again, the image of him letting go and flying across the water still prominent in her mind.

"No... I'd rather surf thank you" Ash continued to act childishly, turning around to Misty to spot a mocking expression on her face. "What?" he had to ask.

"Wimp"

"I am not a wimp!" Ash shouted back indignantly, yet there was no anger more so hushed reprieve that only set Misty off again.

As the duo began their more traditional quarrelling Solidad dislodged herself momentarily from Brock to turn around and observe the two. "Is this their happy arguments or their angry ones?" Solidad whispered to Brock, not knowing the line where joke became insult when it came to her two friends.

"Hm?" Brock murmured, mind snapping back to reality as he turned around. He'd been in dreamland for the last ten minutes which worried him since he wasn't too sure how he'd not capsized the boat under such conditions. "... That's their _happy_ arguments" Brock stated, adding emphasis to the word happy, because the affection the two held for each other was rough, yet strangely pure.

"How can you tell?" Solidad whispered a reply, latching back onto him, making him uncharacteristically stop his explanation for a brief second.

"Uh... I just know them..." Brock droned the first thing that came to mind eliciting a small giggle from the woman.

As Brock continued to be his awkward self Ash and Misty weren't doing much better, both trying to stop themselves from going too far with their insults. None of them wanted it to return to the way they had been the last few years.

"So..." Misty started slowly, stopping the argument in its tracks. "Why did you get so annoyed at him anyway?" Misty asked in a disinterested manner, laced in a thick veil of hope.

"Because he treated me like I was a piece of meat..." Ash growled, remembering the encounter with the man, his words however didn't inspire the ginger haired woman, in fact they disappointed her immensely, that is until he put a hand on her bare shoulder, she didn't even realise he had gotten up close.

"Nobody treats your body like that..." he said confidently, mouth on autopilot, it was as if his emotions and true thoughts had finally decided to crop up and this time they were unwilling to be sealed again. "I don't want anyone... uhh... hitting on you, even if it's me in your body" he admitted in a whisper.

Misty was unsure if she should laugh bashfully or blush luckily she managed to prevent either of them, settling for a 'teasing' smile. "Aw... Ash is showing his emotions, maybe it was you being in my body that helped you with that" she mocked, mind scolding her for it even if it was the only thing she could do to prevent showing her embarrassment.

"No, I was angry..." Ash ignored her jibe. He was unable to stop himself. "I always get like this when it comes to you" he said almost shamefully, his mouth ready to continue only to be stopped by the gasp of Misty, which seemingly stopped him from going further.

He looked up at the ginger haired woman, wearing nothing but a very revealing bikini, yet his vision went to her face, nowhere else, to her beautiful emerald green eyes, gulping momentarily as he noticed a blush on her face.

"C-Continue?" Misty asked, and he was going to oblige until Solidad turned around once more making his face turn bright red.

"...I-I don't really feel... comfortable now" Ash admitted, looking away. "Talk... later?" Ash asked, making Misty mind scream with happiness.

Misty was never going to instigate such a conversation but Ash was willing, the same irresponsible, immature Ash she'd known forever was actually trying or so it seemed, to patch up the gap between them. "Mhm" Misty hummed her agreement, a faint blush on her face, Solidad almost squeaked from the cuteness of the situation but Brock wisely put a hand over her mouth.

"Ash..." Misty said softly, catching the young man off guard, especially since she closed the gap between them to mere inches.

"Y-Yeah"

"Swim" was all she said as she pushed his toned chest with her hand, using it partially as an excuse to touch him, smiling with delight as he toppled over the side of the boat causing both him and Pikachu to cry out.

"Hey!" Ash screamed when he resurfaced, eyes not showing a hint of anger.

"I'll be waiting to hear what you have to say Mr. Emotional" Misty teased from above, glad she had defused a situation that would lead to tension with a mere simple push.

"Hmph" Ash continued to act childishly leaving only one eye open was he looked upwards to see Misty dived into the water with him. "Hey what are you?"

"You guys go on ahead!" Misty shouted to Brock and Solidad who didn't need a second invitation, starting up the engine, zooming off without even making a comment.

"Do you know how hard it was for me to catch up with that boat?" Ash asked almost annoyed at Misty, only to have some water splashed in his face.

"Oh shut up you" she 'ordered' giggled, confusing him, yet satisfying him all the same.

"Hey Mist..." Ash said, catching her undivided attention.

"Hm?"

"Think fast!" was all he said before tackling her playfully forcing Misty to cry out in a half startled, half excited manner as he dragged her under the water. Things were slowly growing between them, and neither would have it any other way.

* * *

Back at the cavern the huntress alongside her two 'protégés' watched as the normal henchmen loaded the various caught Pokémon onto the ship, all of which were petrified to ensure that they couldn't get away, besides it was J's way of doing things.

"They should fetch a good price" J sneered evilly, turning to Harkness with an expectant look in her eyes. "How did she perform?" J asked, the expectancy rising, her voice was sharp, so thick that it unnerved the red haired woman.

"She caught more than I did sir, only marginally though" Harkness stated in honest formality. "I'd say that she possesses a certain aptitude for this kind of work" the blonde haired second-in-command continued, turning to Petrovita who looked completely surprised by his praise.

"Hm" J murmured, arching a silver brow as she stared into Petrovita's violet eyes creating a heavy tension. "Good work" she complimented, forcing the woman to blanch, strength returning to legs. Sure J's tone wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but it was astronomically better than the 'I am going to murder you' sort of tone that she was expecting.

"T-Thank-"

"Return to the ship" J said before Petrovita could continue, heels clicking on the cobble floor as she began to walk away, stopping at the opening hatch of the ship. "Oh and Harkness, those Phione will catch a high price" J stated matter-of-factly. "I'll let you off for providing faulty information _this _time" she concluded, entering the ship without a moments delay.

"Thank you sir" Harkness said with a smile as he saluted even though the woman had already disappeared, leaving him alone with the startled Chloe Petrovita.

"H-How do you manage to stay calm under that gaze of hers?" the red haired woman stuttered, knees finally feeling strong again, she had to admit but she kind of admired Harkness' cool attitude when it came to their boss.

"Probably because I admire her more than anybody else" he smirked as he said this, turning to his 'by-default' understudy before following after his boss, leaving behind a very confused and curious Petrovita.

"That guy doesn't like her, does he?" the woman asked under her breath as he too entered the ship forcing her to shake her head side to side. "No that's impossible" she murmured, deciding to follow after them too, thoughts turning to other matters, such as what that Phione was trying to tell her, whatever it was it had her curious.

* * *

After long day of playing around in the sea and subsequently eating at the beachside restaurant the gang were back at Misty's Villa, absolutely shattered. Ash sat outside in the garden area, back lying against the same tree he'd slept next to on Misty's birthday.

Misty on the other hand sat in the living room alone, Solidad and Brock having left her alone in favour of the kitchen and from the noises of delight she was hearing they were having a good time talking. "..." Misty sighed and got to her feet, walking up to the window to spy Ash and Pikachu and Manaphy relaxing in the garden area, the setting orange sun illuminating them in a delicious glow which made him look even more attractive to her.

It was so strange, only five days ago she and Ash were at each other's necks. They couldn't stand each other, they couldn't communicate and they certainly couldn't play in the sea all day. Yet she realized something, it was odd but she didn't think she had ever stopped caring for the man. In some twisted form of logic she still liked him, no loved him, yet it was because of that she could never speak to him before, why they would always argue.

The root of their problems wasn't a lack of affection it was a lack of understanding, it was clear to her now. "A-Ash" Misty stuttered, opening up the door and walking into the garden, catching the young man's instant attention alongside his Pokémon.

"Misty?" Ash asked, as Pikachu got to his feet and ran up to her, running up her body and settling on her shoulder.

"Pika!" the Pokémon cried excitedly, Manaphy on the other hand just climbed into Ash's lap, it was strange but Manaphy held a strong affection for Ash, pretty much like all of his Pokémon, perhaps it was the fact that Manaphy could see his heart of gold.

"Hey..." Misty said awkwardly, an odd smile on her face as she approached him, sitting down, back against the opposite side of the tree.

"You want me to... continue right?" Ash asked unsteadily, he could almost sense Misty's nod so he continued. "Well... would you feel annoyed if I said even now... I want to be the only person who can speak to you like that?" Ash asked nervously, making the ginger haired woman giggle.

"No... Not really" Misty admitted, squeezing Pikachu close to her body much to the electric-mouse's delight.

"...Hah uh wasn't expecting that" Ash said lamely making the woman laugh even harder.

"Why would you think that?" an uncharacteristically soft voice asked, Misty rarely used such a tone, it was often saved for Togepi or situations where she got rather emotional.

"Well... I always thought we had damaged our relationship too far for me to be allowed to speak like that" Ash admitted in an almost depressive manner, it struck Misty powerfully, the sheer sincerity in his voice let her know that he despised the situation they had gotten themselves into.

"I wasn't really going to say this but" Ash started, looking down on the prince of the sea before stroking his head affectionately making it cry out in bliss. "When I became you it made me realize a few things... I was forceful with you all the time... I didn't understand, I never tried to talk things out, I didn't think about how you felt" Ash's tone was downhearted, much like he'd sounded when he was talking to Delia, in the car on the way to Porta Vista.

"I'm well uhh sorry for it all" Ash apologized maturely, taking the ginger haired gym leader by surprise, her voice was gone, her heart was beating fast, was he trying to mend the gap between them singlehandedly?

"_I thought I was the mature one..." _Misty thought inwardly as she began to channel her fluctuating emotions into petting Pikachu.

"You know regardless of how immature I acted. How angry I acted, I still missed it" Ash said ambiguously, getting to his feet and walking around to Misty's side, looking down on her to see her burning red face, placing himself next to her with a smile on his face.

"...Missed what?" she almost choked out, she wasn't sure why she was acting like this, she was usually so good at bottling and encasing emotions of affection, so why couldn't she now?

"Well 'us'" Ash stated in a matter of fact manner, one hand subconsciously reaching her ginger hair, stroking it, he was back on autopilot, all those moments when they were still a couple fuelling his actions, his memories and desires taking centre stage.

"I told myself a lot of times in the last couple of years that I didn't miss you, that I should be angry at you and somewhere... it worked" Ash admitted. "I convinced myself that I hated you, that everything was your fault... that you hated me" Ash's tone was level Misty could sense the deep sadness it was masking.

"But then... what was I so angry about in the first place?" Ash laughed in a self-depreciative manner.

"I don't know..."

"You, I was actually angry at you" Ash admitted painfully. "We conflicted, both of us made small mistakes constantly, unavoidable, clumsy mistakes" he mentioned slowly, Misty found herself nodding, this was years of pent up emotion coming to centrefold, she couldn't find a part of her that wanted to interrupt with a sarcastic comment, she wanted to hear.

"The mistakes I blamed you for... and what you probably blamed me for though were wrong" he stated as he stopped fondling her hair and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, she leaned in and listened, Pikachu and Manaphy turned to each other, smiles on their faces.

"...What I was angry at you for was my fault" Misty admitted almost sadly, unaware that Brock and Solidad had finished in the kitchen and were now watching them with an expression of wonder on their faces.

"And what I was angry at you for was my responsibility to deal with" Ash echoed her sentiments. It was inevitable but all their problems originated from themselves not the other party.

"We both made many mistakes" Misty said as she looked down at Manaphy. "I treated you badly at times, I was selfish, I blamed you for things that were initially my fault" Misty choked out, she was almost tearful, but then a smile reached her face. "Thank you..." she said all of sudden "Manaphy."

"Mana?" the Pokémon asked with confusion, looking up from his position in-between them.

"Without you I would have continued to make myself hate her" Ash cut in for Misty. "You helped me realize that I was wrong" Ash said with the most grateful voice he'd ever give, Pikachu also echoed this opinion with kind 'Pikas' that forced the Manaphy to tear up babyishly.

"Me too you know" Misty cut in, placing her hand on top of Manaphy's head, stroking it lovingly. "If you hadn't made us swap bodies then even with Ash's apology I wouldn't have..." she said, turning to the side to finally look into Ash's brown eyes "forgiven him" she stated as if she was in fact talking to Ash, forcing a massive grin onto his face.

"It doesn't mean though... that we'll forget what happened with the body problem though right Mist?" Ash asked with a wink that made her giggle as Manaphy looked up in a worried manner. She knew he was joking and for the first time in what seemed like forever she was able to feel completely at ease with this.

"No we won't" Misty said almost seriously. "...We'll learn from it, so it won't happen... in the... future?" she asked suggestively, her eyes conveying the message she so desperately wanted to portray. _"Ash..."_

"...Who needs a truce?" Ash questioned, going back to the small agreement they had made to keep themselves sane and on target at the start of the holiday.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked instantly, worried it meant it was the end, that's until Ash leaned over, everything, happened in super slow motion, but she allowed it, she did not resist. She waited anxiously as his lips dawned on hers, soft, perfect, they matched each other perfectly in each way. It was heaven.

Electricity seemingly ran up her spine giving her goose bumps, the fine hairs on her body stood on end, her thoughts were running wild, her face was hot but she sure as hell did not care one bit. It wasn't the first kiss they shared, but it was by far in her opinion the most passionate, Ash pushed forward and the Pokémon seeing that their trainer was going to be a little busy scooted off them and watched from a distance, squealing their approval.

Misty not being one to be outdone pushed forward, seizing control of a weak Ash, forcing him to fall onto his back, their lips still together, their bodies had craved for this deep down for years and now that they had what they wanted they weren't going to be reserved. Their actions spoke more eloquently than the grandest author in existence could even hope to imagine, yes their actions spoke their deepest desires more than their own words ever could.

'I love you, take me back'

They broke apart only so they could get much needed oxygen, Misty sat straddled over Ash's torso, their faces were flushed, yet delighted, ecstatic, there was no superlative to describe their joy. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever, both panting heavily to breathe, until a cheeky grin crept its way onto Ash's face.

"Start over?" he asked in a manner that Misty found adorable, forcing a giggle to escape her mouth.

"Idiot" she stated joyously.

"Hey!" he cried as she laughed harder at him forcing him to blush. "Hey Mis-" he started but was silenced by the lips of the one he did truly love.

It was the only answer he needed.

* * *

Midnight had arrived and Petrovita was still awake, eyes wide as she stared at the digital alarm clock, next to which sat three Pokéballs, a visor and a petrifaction device to boot. "Heh, a reward huh" Petrovita stated as she stared at the equipment, a small smile gracing her fine features.

_"...You...Are...Looking...For" _the voice of the elder Phione rang in her mind. She was curious and she needed to know what the Pokémon was trying to tell her.

"This is eating me up" she grumbled, she was never one to back off the moment she wanted something, that wasn't her way of working, if it wasn't she wouldn't be in the hired-thug business. "I must know" Petrovita stated, seizing Jigglypuff's Pokéball as she climbed off the bed and out into the hallway.

Her destination was set and thus she moved with swift pace, it didn't take long until she stood in front of the specimen room, also known as the storage room. In front of the room stood two guards, both looking rather tired.

Petrovita knew she couldn't barge her way past them, so she resorted to other tactics, releasing Jigglypuff behind her before pulling out some earplugs. "Jigglypuff use sing" she whispered, smiling as the men in front of her collapsed. She didn't understand why Jigglypuff was so looked down to be honest, especially when she saw sights like this.

"Good work Jigglypuff, return" she said kindly as she entered the room, spotting countless jars full on Phione on the far table, accompanying them were other species of Pokémon but they were of no interest to her.

She quickly got to work, stepping forward decisively as she observed each tube, smiling when she found the oversized Phione. "There you are" she whispered, moving her hand forward to push the lever on the tube down, but only far enough so the Pokémon's head was free.

"...You!" the Pokémon stated, it's eyes widened at the sight of Petrovita.

"What were you trying to tell me?" the woman asked without wasting any time, no-one would in her situation, after all J possessed sociopathic tendencies and was not afraid to display them at any given moment if she saw fit.

"...You... Were...Wondering...Where...Manaphy...Was." The Phione stated all-knowingly, forcing Petrovita's violet eyes to widen. "I...Know...Its...Location" he continued, making the woman smile, she had hit the jackpot.

"Where?" she asked excitedly, stepping forward, her blood boiling, sadly this was turned to ice moments later as the sound of the automatic door opening caught her ears.

"What are you doing here?" her boss asked in a voice so cold that it could freeze hell itself, so chilling that it rooted her feet to the spot, all she could do was look over her shoulder to see J standing with Harkness at her side.

"..." she couldn't respond, she was going to be killed, she was so going to be killed.

"Answer me!" J demanded, stepping forward with vicious intent in her eyes, Petrovita's eyes moved to Harkness' where all she received was a sheepish expression.

"_I'm done for"_

"What can't speak?" J asked, seizing her subordinate by the collar tightly. "Well?" she barked in Petrovita's face as tears streamed out of her eyes.

"S-S-Sir I heard that Phione talking back in the cave!" she blubbered quickly, she didn't want to die. "I-I had to know what it was trying to say" she pleaded, the pure terror she was feeling almost palpable.

"Oh and where did that get you?" J sneered, she was disappointed in Petrovita. She had thought she'd found another subordinate which could follow after her, to become one of her many successors when the time came, but Petrovita had failed her with her unruly behaviour.

"..."

"Well!"

"...Sir... it got us Manaphy's location" Petrovita squealed, forcing J's eyes to widen in an instant, this was mirrored by Harkness, Petrovita was confused, she had never seen her boss act like this.

"Out of the way" J ordered, pushing her aside, stepping in front of the Phione, glaring down on it. "...Petrovita" she growled forcing the woman to shiver in fear. "Go to your quarters now, I'll forget all of this" J showed an uncharacteristic mercy, her anger seeming almost forced.

"Y-Yes sir!" Petrovita practically shouted, bowing in appreciation that she had spared her before making her way to the door, earning a nod from Harkness in the process.

"Well done" Harkness whispered as Petrovita unsteadily walked out the door, stopping at the entrance.

"Huh?" she mumbled.

"She let you live" Harkness stated as if it was the single most honourable thing in existence. "Congratulations... that's a promotion" Harkness chuckled, eyes focused on his bosses back.

"O..k?" Petrovita said doubtfully as she walked away, leaving behind the two leaders of the ship.

"You!" the huntress growled at the Phione now that her latest understudy had gone. "Maybe we can make a little deal?"

* * *

(End Chapter)

Wow so it's been so long since I updated, I hope you can like forgive me? XD I had a dream about this story recently so I had to continue, it's so close to being finished in the first place.

Sorry if the Ash x Misty seems rushed, but if it does then you haven't been reading carefully enough. Their only problem was their misconceptions, not their love, that had remained constant.

So day 5 is over... and soon comes the action packed day 6, I hope you're excited because I am!

**Just a word of warning, if you don't review it doesn't matter how much you like it, I won't update.**

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and once again please LEAVE A REVIEW, I need 12 reviews to meet my targets, I hope you can all assist me, I spent time doing this, please spare me some of yours.

-Aquilon.


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